Make sure to try this wine

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Zenato, Ripassa, Superiore, 2021

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95 NJP of 100 NJP

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Zenato, Ripassa, Superiore, 2021 (23 EUR/27 USD in Sweden) red dry blend wine, Valpolicella Classico, Veneto, Italy, 95 NJP of 100 NJP (30-06-2026 by Dr Nenad Jelisic)

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Here we have a brilliant example of how a Valpolicella Ripasso DOC-wine should smell and taste. For your information: A Valpolicella Ripasso DOC-wine consists of the same type and percentage of red wine grapes as a Valpolicella DOC-wine, but a Valpolicella Ripasso DOC-wine must be fermented twice. The second time together with what is left over after an Amarone- or Recioto-wine had been fermented and pressed. Before the second fermentation begins, it is allowed to add up to 15% Amarone wine or dried grapes to the wine. Now, we go back to our wonderful wine. Zenato Ripassa Superiore 2021 is a sweet spicy, juicy, concentrated, fruity and tannin rich wine. I do not remember when the last time I tasted such a really good Valpolicella Ripasso-wine. It must have been a long time ago because 99% of other Valpolicella Ripasso-wines, which are available at the Systembolaget (a government owned chain of all liquor stores in Sweden), have scored from 0,0 NJP to at most 1,0 NJP. The aroma of the wine is filled to the explosion limit with bay leaves, milk chocolate, black cherry jam, raisins, vanilla, cinnamon and clove. The flavour of the wine is filled with dark sweet cherries, vanilla, raisins, dark chocolate, clove, dried prune plums and freshly brewed coffee. The wine's aftertaste is long, sweetly spicy, fruity, bitter and dry. It can be aged for 5 years, that is to say to, until 2031.

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A flavourful, sweet spicy, fruity and tannin-rich wine like this will go perfectly with grilled beef fillet/entrecôte with Café de Paris sauce and potato gratin or with reindeer stew with buttery mashed potatoes or with grilled pork chops with grilled red peppers, yellow onions and tomatoes, and béarnaise sauce or with grilled duck breast with port wine and cherry sauce and potato stoemp (roughly mashed potatoes with vegetables and cream) or with pasta carbonara or with Boeuf Bourguignon with buttery mashed potatoes or with risotto or with hard cheeses such as Cheddar, Svecia, Västerbotten, Parmesan and Grana Padano. If you want that Zenato Ripassa Superiore 2021 will show you its greatness from the first sip, you should decant it for one hour or do it in the way described here immediately after. That is, serve it at 18 to 19°C in Bordeaux glasses, if possible, from Orrefors, Kosta Boda, Spiegelau or Riedel. Another option is to serve it at 16°C (when room or outdoor temperature is above 23°C) and then enjoy it as it begins to grow in the glass.

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Zenato Ripassa Superiore 2021 consists of three different grapes: 85% Corvina, 10% Rondinella and 5% Oseleta. Valpolicella Classico refers to the higher, hillier parts of the Valpolicella wine district. Superiore can be written on the wine’s label if the wine has been aged for at least 1 year before being released on the market and if the wine has at least 1% higher alcohol content than a Valpolicella DOC-wine. The wine's vineyards are located in an area around Lake Garda. The soil on which the grapes grow consists of sand and clay. The grapes are harvested and selected by hand. After the selections in both the vineyards and the winery, the grapes are destemmed. Then the grapes are gently crushed and their grape mass, which consists of crushed grapes and grape juice, is macerated and fermented in stainless steel tanks under a controlled temperature between 25 and 30°C for 25 days. After which the grape mass is gently pressed and the wine is transferred back to the stainless steel tanks. After the aforementioned (first) maceration and fermentation, the wine is blend with what is left over after the Zenato’s Amarone-wines had been fermented and pressed. The wine is then macerated and fermented a second time under a controlled temperature between 25 and 28°C for 7 to 8 days. After these two macerations and two fermentations, the wine is aged in 3,500 to 6,500 litre Slavonian (Croatian) oak barrels for 18 months where it undergoes malolactic fermentation. Finally, the wine is bottled and aged for a few more weeks before it is released on the market.

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The reason why the Zenato winery uses "Ripassa", a trademarked name, instead of "Ripasso" is to distinguish its wine from all other Ripasso-wines.

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Zenato-wines are imported to Sweden by Provinum.