Mezzo Monte Valpolicella Ripasso
⏳ Drinking Window
2024 - 2030
🍷 Vintage Profile
The 2022 vintage across Valpolicella was defined by prolonged summer heatwaves and severe drought, which placed lower-elevation vineyards under hydric stress while the higher terraces of the Valpantena retained vital diurnal temperature shifts. Timely late-August rains revitalized canopy function, preventing premature defoliation and allowing Corvina and Corvinone to achieve thorough phenolic ripeness with concentrated sugars alongside slightly reduced total acidity. This sustained warmth yielded robust, polyphenol-dense base wines, and subsequent contact with dried Amarone pomace amplified the vintage's naturally rich, dark fruit profile and ripe, rounded tannins. Showing considerable generosity and broad texture early in its life, this 2022 Ripasso is drinking exceptionally well in 2026 and possesses the structural density to evolve favorably through 2030.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Braised beef short ribs, mushroom risotto with aged Parmigiano-Reggiano, grilled pork sausages with polenta
✨ Technical Specifications
Sourced from terraced hillside plots in the Valpantena sub-zone, this Ripasso is rooted in calcareous marl and stony clay soils. Freshly fermented Valpolicella must is passed over the unpressed, warm skins and pomace of dried Amarone grapes in late winter, initiating a gentle second fermentation that bolsters color, body, and aromatic complexity. Following fermentation, the wine matures for over a year in large oak casks and tonneaux, imparting fine structure without overwhelming the core dark fruit.
🍾 About the Producer
Antiche Terre Venete is situated in Sezano within the Valpantena valley, a renowned sub-zone northeast of Verona in the Veneto. Established in 2000 through the collaborative partnership of Luciano Sancassani and Riccardo Degani—building upon the Sancassani family's multi-generational agrarian heritage—the estate covers approximately 25 hectares of terraced hillside vineyards. The terroir is defined by clay-limestone soils rich in 'biancone' limestone skeletal rock, which reflects radiant sunlight and retains sufficient moisture during dry summers, coupled with dramatic diurnal temperature shifts influenced by the Monti Lessini. Antiche Terre Venete cultivates indigenous varieties including Corvina, Corvinone, and Rondinella using both traditional Veronese Pergola and modern Guyot training systems. Guided by low-impact sustainable practices and solar-powered cellars, the winemaking focuses on traditional appassimento and ripasso techniques. Benchmark labels include the Mezzo Monte Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore, expressive Amarone della Valpolicella, and organic cuvées, all characterized by plush dark cherry fruit, savory dried herbs, balanced acidity, and refined structural depth.
🍇 Grapes
Corvina, Rondinella, Molinara
🍷 ABV
13.5%