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
Established in 1902 by Giacomo Tommasi in the hillside hamlet of Pedemonte di Valpolicella, Tommasi has evolved across four generations into one of the most prominent family-owned wine estates in northeastern Italy. While anchored in the classic calcareous-limestone hills of Valpolicella Classica, the estate has expanded its viticultural footprint across prominent northeastern denominations, including the mineral-rich, glacial clay terraces of Lugana on the southern shores of Lake Garda, as well as classic terroirs across Delle Venezie. Led winemaking-wise by Giancarlo Tommasi, the house operates under strict sustainability protocols certified via Equalitas. Vinification balances regional heritage with precision oenology, championing extended wood aging in large Slavonian oak casks for its iconic Amarone della Valpolicella and the ultra-prestige single-vineyard De Buris Riserva, while delivering vibrancy and saline minerality through stainless-steel vinifications in white expressions such as Le Fornaci Lugana and Le Volpare Soave Classico.
🍇 Grapes
Corvina (45-95%), Corvinone, Rondinella