The organic Valentina Cubi 2017 Valpolicella Ripasso Classico Superiore Arusnatico is quite lean in texture with robust primary aromas of dried raspberry, cherry, lavender and grilled herb. This blend of 65% Corvina, 25% Rondinella and 10% Molinara shows the intensity of a hot vintage and air-dried fruit. The wine offers an easy-drinking approach with 4,200 bottles released.

The certified organic Valentina Cubi 2016 Valpolicella Ripasso Classico Superiore Arusnatico is a lean-bodied blend of 65% Corvina, 25% Rondinella and 10% Molinara. The wine sees a brief 12 months in botte grande and tonneaux. This is a graceful, albeit thin, expression that narrowly focuses in on fresh cherry fruit, dried plum and light spice. Fruit comes from a 10-hectare plot with volcanic soils, and exactly 6,466 bottles were rolled out.

A blend of 65% Corvina, 25% Rondinella and 10% Molinara, the 2015 Valpolicella Ripasso Classico Superiore Arusnatico is a dark and pleasantly intense wine with rich flavors of black fruit and prune that last long. There is a good amount of spice and smoke in there as well (this wine sees 12 months in oak), but the overall impact of this Ripasso is more immediate and accessible by design. Your food-pairing possibilities increase in range, from pasta to meat. Some 6,000 bottles were produced.

A blend of organically farmed Corvina (75%) and Rondinella, the 2012 Valpolicella Ripasso Classico Superiore Arusnatico is a lean, streamlined wine with light berry nuances that rise delicately from the glass. Drying mineral tones of crushed granite and brimstone lead to very subtle tones of spice and tobacco. Drink this wine within the next 24 months.

Muted and slightly muddled on first nose, the 2010 Valpolicella Ripasso Classico Superiore Arusnatico exhibits tones of ripe cherry, sweet spice, tobacco and leather. The style is straightforward and frank, and the wine slowly reveals more of its personality as it takes on air in the glass. A snappy touch of bitter cherry gives it closure. Drink 2013-2017. Behind every great woman is a great man. Valentina Cubi and her husband Giancarlo Vason make a dynamic winemaking duo and have pursued their dream of making fine wines since the late 1960s. Their institutional knowledge of Valpolicella’s best single vineyards and microclimates is hard to beat. They represent a steady and composed “wiser generation” in this tightly knit winemaking community. Yet, despite all this, Valentina Cubi is an exciting, under-the-radar proposition that gets “discovered” by some stray wine writer with frequent recurrence. In my view, they deserve more credit. Along with other important names in Valpolicella, Valentina Cubi is a protagonist in the stylistic revolution that defines modern Amarone. Organic farming started in 2010. Importer: Votto Vines Importing, www.vottovines.com