Zenato Valpolicella Superiore Ripassa 2008 - The deep ruby red color of the Ripassa, and the intense yet fine aromas come from the mixture of grapes. It is full bodied, harmonic, and velvety on the palate. Recommended with grilled meat dishes, Ripassa is excellent with rabbit casserole. This blockbuster wine is one of Winebow's alltime favorites.
The 2008 Valpolicella Classico Superiore is a beautiful wine that bursts from the glass with exuberant dark fruit, cloves and chocolate. This shows none of the hard edges, herbaceousness or dilution that is typical of so many Valpolicellas in this price range. -The Wine Advocate, 89 Points
WA 89
Zenato gives the name "Ripassa" to this wine, which shares many of the characteristics of their Amarone. As soon as the fermentation is completed of the dried grapes for the Amarone, selected lots of Valpolicella are then "re-passed" on the Amarone pomace, thus initiating a second fermentation which increases slightly the alcoholic content and gives the wine deeper colour, increased extract, and more complex aromas. After 6 months' bottle-aging, the result is a Ripassa that represents one of the most important milestones in Zenato's winemaking evolution.