The 2015 Valpolicella Ripasso Classico Superiore Semonte Alto (made with 70% Corvina, 25% Rondinella and 5% Molinara) is an easy, mid-weight red to pair with meatloaf or breaded veal chops. The wine offers a plump and ripe quality of fruit with lots of plum, blackberry and black cherry. One year in oak gives the wine more volume and spice at the back. Some 20,000 bottles were made.

Good, solidly extracted fruit, very good ripeness. Good ripeness and fine, earthy, yet lifted fruit, all in balance.

Possessing a dense ruby/purple color, the 1999 Valpolicella Semonte Alto is made in the Ripasso style (with the grape must passed over the pomace of the Amarone). Medium to full-bodied, with notes of saddle leather, asphalt, black cherries, and plums, there is a little animal in this wine along with plenty of complexity and richness. Drink it over the next 4-5 years. Importer: Vinity Wine Co., (Dino Capriotti) Emeryville, CA; tel.(510) 601-6010