Superiore Rafael
⏳ Drinking Window
2019 - 2027
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Classic pasta dishes with meat ragù, roasted poultry or pork, and medium-aged Italian cheeses such as Asiago.
✨ Technical Specifications
The 'Rafael' vineyard is a historic jewel in the crown of the Tommasi family, who have been crafting benchmark wines in the Veneto region since 1902. Located on the rolling hills of San Pietro in Cariano within the prestigious Valpolicella Classico zone, this single vineyard boasts optimal sun exposure and fertile clay-loam soils. The wine is a classic, elegant expression of the region, traditionally blended from Corvina Veronese, Rondinella, and Molinara grapes. Unlike its bolder cousin Amarone, the Rafael Valpolicella Classico Superiore focuses on freshness and grace; it is aged for approximately 15 months in large, traditional Slavonian oak casks. This gentle wood contact allows the vibrant red cherry, floral, and subtle spice notes of the terroir to shine through, embodying the historic soul of Valpolicella winemaking.
🍾 About the Producer
Founded in 1902 by Giacomo Battista Tommasi, Tommasi is an esteemed historic wine estate based in Pedemonte in the heart of the Valpolicella Classica zone of Veneto, Italy. Still owned and meticulously managed by the fourth generation of the Tommasi family, the estate has established itself as an international benchmark for authentic Northern Italian viticulture. The winery is renowned for its mastery of traditional regional winemaking techniques, particularly the native appassimento grape-drying method used to craft their powerful, long-lived Amarone della Valpolicella Classico and prestigious single-vineyard bottlings like Ca' Florian and Rafael. Alongside their iconic Valpolicella red wines, Tommasi produces refined Lugana whites, elegant Chiaretto rosés, and characterful dessert wines that celebrate indigenous varietals and historic terroirs.
🍇 Grape Varieties
Corvina (45-95%), Corvinone, Rondinella