This is showing notes of mocha and tobacco smoke alongside dried cherries and fruit peel. It’s full-bodied with tasty spice and dried fruit without being heavy. Chewy tannin frame. Drink or hold.

The 2012 Valpolicella Ripasso Classico Superiore is an easy-drinking Italian red that seems perfectly engineered to pair next to a slice of thick-crust pizza or hearty pasta with meat sauce. The wine makes no big promises in terms of complexity or longevity. What is does offer, however, is a straightforward rendition of red fruit, spice and dried tobacco.

Villabella has crafted a fine 2010 Valpolicella Ripasso Classico Superiore. The wine is steady and strong in terms of it dark fruit, prune, cola and saddle leather aromas. Autumnal aromas of dried leaf and button mushroom appear on the close. Blending components of Corvina, Rondinella, Molinara, Rossignola and Negrara offer balanced freshness and sweetness. Drink 2014-2019. Importer: Wine Wave, A Vintelligence Company, www.winewave.com