The 2022 Tommasi Valpolicella Ripasso Classico Superiore is the mid-point of the Valpolicella ladder, from the family Gambero Rosso named Italy's Winery of the Year for 2027. Ripasso means re-passed: the young Valpolicella is run back over the still-warm Amarone skins for a second fermentation, picking up colour, body and some of Amarone's dried-fruit depth without its weight or price.
Corvina 70%, Rondinella 25%, Corvinone 5%. Fermented in steel for about fifteen days, then twelve to thirteen days on the Amarone pomace, then at least eighteen months in 65-hectolitre Slavonian oak and six months in bottle. 13.5% alcohol.
Black cherry, plum and raspberry with black pepper, earth, tobacco and a thread of cocoa. Medium to full-bodied, rounded, with soft integrated tannin and fresh acidity to a long, gently warming finish.
94 points, Jeff Porter, Wine Enthusiast. 93 points, James Suckling.
Ben’s Recommendation:
The wine people mean when they say baby Amarone, and the best-value red in the Tommasi range. For Shiraz or Merlot drinkers who want something smoother and more food-friendly. Drink now to around 2030 with pasta al ragù, braised meats, mushroom dishes or aged cheese.
