Bertani Secco-Bertani 2007

With the classic ripasso process, grape must is left to rest for a few days in spring on freshly drawn lees from Bertani's Recioto Amarone wine. Very deep garnet-red color with purple nuances. On the nose, scents of ripe cherries evolve into black-cherry notes, spices, and dried fruit: the authentic tones of Valpantena. The palate shows an incredible balance of soft tannins and good acidity, with a long, flavorful, and persistent aftertaste.

Rondinella and Corvina Veronese grapes. Bertani is headquartered at the palatial neo-classical Villa Novare, north of Verona in Italy's Veneto region. One of northeast Italy's most prestigious wine producers, Bertani owns all its own vineyards from which it produces an array of estate-grown wines. Founded in 1857, this family-owned estate has enjoyed a reputation for quality from the start. Secco-Bertani, launched in the late 1850s, has been in continuous production for over 150 years and is rightly extolled as the grandfather of ripasso-technique Veronese wines. It was in all likelihood the first ripasso from Valpolicella to earn a substantial following outside its native Italy.