Valpolicella DOC 2008 Superiore Ripasso, Italy 3-Pack
$89.99 (Normally $126.00) 29% off List Price
2008 Domenico Fraccaroli Valpolicella Ripasso
CT link above

Winery website

On edge. I need to wait for the winery to stop in and help out.

That and I burned the junk out of finger and had to kill the pain with a bottle of Nebbiolo.

What's the acid level of these babies?

Yay!!!! Been waiting and waiting for an Italian import. Thank you Woot!!!

Ripasso:
In the late 20th century, a new style of wine known as ripasso (meaning "repassed") emerged. With this technique, the pomace of leftover grape skins and seeds from the fermentation of recioto and Amarone are added to the batch of Valpolicella wines for a period of extended maceration. The additional food source for the remaining fermenting yeast helps boost the alcohol level and body of the wines while also leaching additional tannins, glycerine and some phenolic compounds that contribute to a wine's complexity, flavor and color.[9][12] As the production of Amarone has increased in the 21st century, so too has the prevalence of ripasso style wines appearing in the wine market, with most Amarone producers also producing a ripasso as a type of "second wine". An alternative method is to use partially dried grapes, instead of leftover pomace, which contain less bitter tannins and even more phenolic compounds.[2][13]
The first Valpolicella producer to commercially market a ripasso wine was Masi in the early 1980s.[7] When the style first became popular in the late 20th century, it was rarely noted on the wine label. There was also debate about whether it was even permitted to be included under DOC regulations.[3] If it was mentioned at all it was relegated to the back label wine description notes. Today the term ripasso is freely permitted to be used, with several examples on the wine market labeled as being made in the ripasso style.[9] In late 2009, Ripasso della Valpolicella received its own DOC designation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valpolicella

bskuared wrote:The first Valpolicella producer to commercially market a ripasso wine was Masi in the early 1980s.

Anybody know how this compares to Masi Campofiorin ripasso?

I have had a number of ripasso style wines recently, and while nothing was 'black tie', they were all in the mid market range.

I seem to find a common flavor profile of heavily extracted fruit, with almost a late harvest quality (the sort of sweet, almost raisiny flavor). Tannins are generally light tasting, and the mid level wines I had were not setup for aging.

I think I personally prefer non-ripasso style Italian wines - but that is _my_ palate.

Oh. Oh yum! I'm a fan of valpols... but I'm not sure on the cost of this one. Usually you see valpols as a less-expensive Amarone, so either this producer's Amarone is mind blowing and $70+/bottle, justifying a retail of $42/bottle for the valpol, or someone is playing on the DOC. I've had some very good ripasso at $25 retail. If I didn't have to be saving up for things like a new A/C and a wedding, I might pull the trigger on this. It has the potential to be an excellent deal.

cheron98 wrote:Oh. Oh yum! I'm a fan of valpols... but I'm not sure on the cost of this one. Usually you see valpols as a less-expensive Amarone, so either this producer's Amarone is mind blowing and $70+/bottle, justifying a retail of $42/bottle for the valpol, or someone is playing on the DOC. I've had some very good ripasso at $25 retail. If I didn't have to be saving up for things like a new A/C and a wedding, I might pull the trigger on this. It has the potential to be an excellent deal.

I agree, I can get a fantastic Ripasso at my local wine shop for $20/btl. When I saw that it was a Ripasso up I was excited, but the price quashed any interest. Unfortunately these Saturday import offers just haven't been offering the value that we see here on the general mix of West Coast wines.

cheron98 wrote:Oh. Oh yum! I'm a fan of valpols... but I'm not sure on the cost of this one... If I didn't have to be saving up for things like a new A/C and a wedding, I might pull the trigger on this.

Of course, you also have to consider that you will now be merging wine cellars.Nice!

cheron98 wrote:Oh. Oh yum! I'm a fan of valpols... but I'm not sure on the cost of this one. Usually you see valpols as a less-expensive Amarone, so either this producer's Amarone is mind blowing and $70+/bottle, justifying a retail of $42/bottle for the valpol, or someone is playing on the DOC. I've had some very good ripasso at $25 retail. If I didn't have to be saving up for things like a new A/C and a wedding, I might pull the trigger on this. It has the potential to be an excellent deal.

I don't understand your post... maybe there is a nuance I didn't see? This is for 3 bottles coming in at around $30 a bottle. It's not a simple Amarone.

Here's a review from the Simply Italian 2012 Wine Tour.
For the reds, the standout was the Valipolicella DOC Superiore Ripasso 2008, from Domenico Fraccaroli. This wine had intense dark fruit aromas, with cherrys in the forefront. There were also spicy notes, some cerar, and a hint of chocolate. On the toungue, moderate tannins, bitter chocolate, dark fruits, and a hint of horehound. The finish was shorter than expected, slightly bitter, with tannins coming out, along with spices and black pepper. This would be a great wine with a juicy steak or a nice barbeque chicken.

http://www.examiner.com/article/simply-italian-2012-wine-tour

I have never had a Ripasso. It will be interesting to try it considering the differnt type of fermentation. I'm in.

bskuared wrote:Here's a review from the Simply Italian 2012 Wine Tour.
For the reds, the standout was the Valipolicella DOC Superiore Ripasso 2008, from Domenico Fraccaroli. This wine had intense dark fruit aromas, with cherrys in the forefront. There were also spicy notes, some cerar, and a hint of chocolate. On the toungue, moderate tannins, bitter chocolate, dark fruits, and a hint of horehound. The finish was shorter than expected, slightly bitter, with tannins coming out, along with spices and black pepper. This would be a great wine with a juicy steak or a nice barbeque chicken.

http://www.examiner.com/article/simply-italian-2012-wine-tour

He also mentions that the wine would cost about $16. I am guessing that this would be in Italy before it is imported here. And he was guessing at the exchange rate from Euros.

I love amarones and enjoy ripassos. But I have several in my stash already, so I will pass for now.

timmyjwoot wrote:I agree, I can get a fantastic Ripasso at my local wine shop for $20/btl. When I saw that it was a Ripasso up I was excited, but the price quashed any interest. Unfortunately these Saturday import offers just haven't been offering the value that we see here on the general mix of West Coast wines.

Dear All,
Regarding Value from the Valpo, it's important to keep some perspective on how small wines are made great and what "value" represents. Today's ripasso is a baby Amarone. You may know that the grapes for amarone are dried on racks and the yield is tiny. The resulting wine is unique in the world and holds a special place among the royalty that is vini Italiani. Not surprisingly, Amarone is one of the most expensive wines to produce and therefore commands prices at a low end of $50 to more than $150 and higher. An average, good Amarone from a reputable producer is about $75. As ripasso wines are "reinforced" with the privileged Amarone grapes and wine, Ripasso often is priced from $25-60, with an average price around $40. Given the attention to detail of this estate wine, small production and limited availability of the Fraccaroli ripasso (less than 100 cases imported into the US), this wine does represent value. As for comparison to Masi Campofiorin, that is an average Ripasso from a behemoth producer that makes millions of bottles. Is a burger from Burger King the same as a burger from Daniel Boulud? No, and it's not the same price either. Enjoy this wine while you can; it will be sold out tomorrow.

gjmonevine wrote:Dear All,
Regarding Value from the Valpo, it's important to keep some perspective on how small wines are made great and what "value" represents. Today's ripasso is a baby Amarone. You may know that the grapes for amarone are dried on racks and the yield is tiny. The resulting wine is unique in the world and holds a special place among the royalty that is vini Italiani. Not surprisingly, Amarone is one of the most expensive wines to produce and therefore commands prices at a low end of $50 to more than $150 and higher. An average, good Amarone from a reputable producer is about $75. As ripasso wines are "reinforced" with the privileged Amarone grapes and wine, Ripasso often is priced from $25-60, with an average price around $40. Given the attention to detail of this estate wine, small production and limited availability of the Fraccaroli ripasso (less than 100 cases imported into the US), this wine does represent value. As for comparison to Masi Campofiorin, that is an average Ripasso from a behemoth producer that makes millions of bottles. Is a burger from Burger King the same as a burger from Daniel Boulud? No, and it's not the same price either. Enjoy this wine while you can; it will be sold out tomorrow.

Great post!

ScottHarveyWines wrote:I have never had a Ripasso. It will be interesting to try it considering the differnt type of fermentation. I'm in.

I can't quite comprehend that I've had a type of wine that Scott hasn't. I'll be curious to hear your thoughts on this one, Scott!

gjmonevine wrote:Dear All,
Regarding Value from the Valpo, it's important to keep some perspective on how small wines are made great and what "value" represents. Today's ripasso is a baby Amarone. You may know that the grapes for amarone are dried on racks and the yield is tiny. The resulting wine is unique in the world and holds a special place among the royalty that is vini Italiani. Not surprisingly, Amarone is one of the most expensive wines to produce and therefore commands prices at a low end of $50 to more than $150 and higher. An average, good Amarone from a reputable producer is about $75. As ripasso wines are "reinforced" with the privileged Amarone grapes and wine, Ripasso often is priced from $25-60, with an average price around $40. Given the attention to detail of this estate wine, small production and limited availability of the Fraccaroli ripasso (less than 100 cases imported into the US), this wine does represent value. As for comparison to Masi Campofiorin, that is an average Ripasso from a behemoth producer that makes millions of bottles. Is a burger from Burger King the same as a burger from Daniel Boulud? No, and it's not the same price either. Enjoy this wine while you can; it will be sold out tomorrow.

I completely understand the cost in producing Amarone and Valpols, but I have to disagree with your prices. Three years ago, I think you're right on accurate. But things changed and prices dropped across the board, including Italian imports, which I love so much.

Looking at my Amarone buys recently, I've been paying between $30 and $45/bottle. Putting Valpols within this range isn't necessarily making them a huge value comparatively, since they are "baby Amarones." In a like situation, it would be pricing Rosso di Montalcinos for the price that one could get a BdM. It's the little brother and should get a little(r) price.

N.B.: I am not making a comment about the quality of this wine (if I were buying right now, I'd actually probably be in). I am just saying that a $30 Valpol may be a bit of a tough sell in the current market.

bskuared wrote:I don't understand your post... maybe there is a nuance I didn't see? This is for 3 bottles coming in at around $30 a bottle. It's not a simple Amarone.

I think my post explains what Octocat was saying, bskuared.

I am very curious about this wine as my knowledge and experience with Italian wines is next to nothing. But it also seems like the wrong place to start. I guess I have some reading and tasting to do.

cortot20 wrote:I am very curious about this wine as my knowledge and experience with Italian wines is next to nothing. But it also seems like the wrong place to start. I guess I have some reading and tasting to do.

Without really knowing the QPR on this particular wine, Ripasso is a very particular style of wine. You'd probably enjoy learning it. However, it's not exactly a classic Italian style either. Plenty of Chianti, Brunello, Barolo, Super-Tuscan, and just regional styles to give you a sense of Italian wines.

klezman wrote:Without really knowing the QPR on this particular wine, Ripasso is a very particular style of wine. You'd probably enjoy learning it. However, it's not exactly a classic Italian style either. Plenty of Chianti, Brunello, Barolo, Super-Tuscan, and just regional styles to give you a sense of Italian wines.

Couldn't of said it better myself. Maybe a trip to costco is in order. They generally have a number of Italian wines that are priced well just to get a feel for the region.

kylemittskus wrote:I think my post explains what Octocat was saying, bskuared.

Have you been purchasing from small vintners or from the ones that are readily available in the US? This makes all the difference to me. I found a wonderful Vino Nobile whilst in Tuscany in May and had a case shipped to my house. More than doubled the price, but it was well worth it qualitywise. What I like about these Italian import offerings is the variety and uniqueness of the wines offered. BevMo doesn't always suffice.

bskuared wrote:Have you been purchasing from small vintners or from the ones that are readily available in the US? This makes all the difference to me. I found a wonderful Vino Nobile whilst in Tuscany in May and had a case shipped to my house. More than doubled the price, but it was well worth it qualitywise. What I like about these Italian import offerings is the variety and uniqueness of the wines offered. BevMo doesn't always suffice.

I completely agree that BevMo doesn't cut it. I buy beer there occasionally, and that's about it.

The Amarones I'm talking about are low case imports (300 cases-ish or less). I'm not really aware of any "mass-market" (for lack of a better word) Amarones. The process and associated cost along with the DOCG rules make large scale Amarone production impossible. I have heard of some "fake" or Amarone-style wines -- much like the artificially frozen grapes for ice wine-styled wines -- but haven't ever had one.

kylemittskus wrote:I completely agree that BevMo doesn't cut it. I buy beer there occasionally, and that's about it.

The Amarones I'm talking about are low case imports (300 cases-ish or less). I'm not really aware of any "mass-market" (for lack of a better word) Amarones. The process and associated cost along with the DOCG rules make large scale Amarone production impossible. I have heard of some "fake" or Amarone-style wines -- much like the artificially frozen grapes for ice wine-styled wines -- but haven't ever had one.

Well, Trader Joes has some large scale imports available for about $15. They are ok, not great.

Am I missing something? I am new to this wine as I am sure many of your are to. Is this the traditional high acidic italian wine, or are we looking at a late harvest type wine?

bkarlan wrote:Am I missing something? I am new to this wine as I am sure many of your are to. Is this the traditional high acidic italian wine, or are we looking at a late harvest type wine?

A little from column A and a little from column B. I'd think of it as generally high acid Italian wine, but with a bit of added complexity and raisiny characteristics due to the ripasso method. imo, that's the strength of the ripasso - you get the benefits of both.

We opened a bottle of this last night, and it was outstanding. I am not a fan of valpolicella, but my husband is, and even I loved it. I'm not enough of a connoisseur to really provide tasting notes or anything, but it was substantial. I poured two glasses, walked out of the kitchen for something, and when I walked back in, the kitchen was so aromatic. I'm only sorry that I only ordered one.