2020 Zenato Ripassa Ripasso Valpolicella Superiore 750 ml

In the castle-dotted hills of Valpolicella, Amarone is king. Intense, aromatic, and age-worthy, it’s a wine that collectors love to contemplate and discuss. But here’s one of our favorite secrets of northern Italy: Ripasso can combine those same characteristics, from the same varieties and terroir, with an incredible food-friendly energy. 

Few estates deliver on that promise like Zenato, a Valpolicella stalwart that the Wine Advocate called “one of the most historic and important wine identities in northern Italy.” And that’s exactly what they did with the 2020 Ripassa. 

Bold and aromatic, it brings all the deep complexity we love to find in Amarone, wrapped in a fresh and vibrant package. Aromatically rich with roasted berries, dark chocolate, leather, incense, and black pepper, it weaves dried violets, rosemary, toasted sage, and cedar together on the palate with robust tannins and juicy acidity.

In the typical Ripasso style, Zeneto fermented Valpolicella Classico Superiore—pressed fresh rather than dried—then re-fermented it on warm Amarone grape skins, which had been carefully dried for months in single layers before their pressing. This is where Ripasso gets its name, as it is “re-passed” over the Amarone lees. Over 8–10 days, this second fermentation imparts roundness, structure, and rich depth.

Zenato then rests the blend of 80% Corvina, 10% Rondinella, and 10% Oseleta for 18 months in French tonneaux before bottling, bringing everything into harmony. The result is a wine that’s the perfect intermediary between Valpolicella and Amarone, offering the former’s juicy acidity with a bit of the latter’s figgy luxuriance.