VALPOLICELLA CLASSICO 2018
Appellation: Valpolicella Classico D.O.C Grape varieties: Corvina Veronese 70%, Rondinella 30%
The territory: Valpolicella Classica Vineyard location: Located in Fumane, Valpolicella, hillside areas Vintage characteristics Altitude: 180-280 metres (590-919 feet) a.s.l. This year the harvest was long, with slow ripening, and Exposure: South-East abundant, high-quality grapes. Spring was particularly wet Soil characteristics: Very varied, but mostly clayey and and in early July, due to the considerable number of calcareous bunches, we carried out some thinning to restore the Training system: Old vines, Pergola Trentina; new vines, Guyot equilibrium of the vineyard. A dry period started in July, Average age of the vines: 31 years interspersed with some timely showers. On the eve of the Density of planting: Old vineyards 2500/3000 vines/ha, new harvest, heavy rains (up to 170 millimetres of rainfall) made vineyards approx. 5000 vines/ha us fear the worst, but fortunately, the forecasted poor weather conditions failed to materialize. In September, Vinification and ageing therefore, we experienced a sort of new, ‘mini summer’, Harvest: Grapes are hand-picked in the second half of with temperatures reaching up to 33°C, high overall September temperatures but also equally high fluctuations (even Pressing: De-stemmed and soft-pressed differences of 15°C between day and night), which enabled Fermentation: In temperature controlled stainless steel tanks the grapes to attain ideal ripeness. Phenolic maturity was Fermentation temperature: 25-31°C (77-88°F) achieved in the last third of September. The grapes are in a Duration of fermentation: Approximately 9 days perfectly healthy condition, with high quantities and quality. Ageing: In stainless steel tanks until mid-February and in the bottle for 2 months Tasting notes Ruby red in colour, with purplish-blue highlights; the nose Analytical data exhibits fragrant fruit with prominent notes of cherries, Alcohol content: 13.20% Vol echoed by fresher hints of pepper and aromatic herbs, Total acidity: 5.80 g/l typical of Corvina and Corvinone, the historic varietals of this Residual sugars: 2.5 g/l appellation. Whilst young it is impressively lively and playful Dry extract: 27.6 g/l on the palate while it expresses greater delicacy and finesse pH 3.25 some two years later.
Food pairings This type of Valpolicella is the perfect accompaniment to Italian antipasti, soups, pasta dishes and other dishes typical of Mediterranean cuisine. It also pairs well with roasted and grilled white meats and is ideal as a summer red to drink with fish dishes. Serve preferably at 16°C (61°F) and open the bottle shortly before drinking.