This is a Valpolicella Ripasso in all but name.

So if you wanted a taste of the really good stuff at a snip of the price, this is your chance.

It’s made by Mirko Sella, the owner of the San Cassiano winery in the Veneto region between Lake Garda and Venice and at the foothills of the Alps. 

I know him through Federico Cerelli, who makes his I Filari Amarone here from some of Mirko’s best vines.

San Cassiano is in the eastern part of Valpolicella, and just like Federico’s Amarone, it’s one of the best parts of the region for making this type of wine:

• The vineyards sit at 400m altitude, which is one of the highest sites in the region. You get a big difference between day and night temperatures, which concentrates the flavours in the grapes
  
• The soils are very poor and made up of white marl - so the vines struggle and produce less fruit per plant. Again doubling down on that concentration
  
• The grapes are slowly dried on racks for 45-50 days after harvest, increasing the power and intensity even further
  
• The wine is then aged for 3 years in French and American oak, to make it even more smooth and luxurious.

Wines around here are usually made from a blend of three grapes: Corvina, Rondinella and Corvinone. 

Corvinone adds colour and richness to the party, and Mirko believes it’s the most important component of the blend. So he decided to make a single-vineyard, single-grape wine dedicated to the variety.

It’s powerful, raisiny and dark, with lovely herbaceous and balsamic flavours, and coffee and chocolate too. There’s great complexity and length, with a beautifully balanced and lifted finish.

It’s amazing value for a wine of this style and quality - some might call it a baby Amarone, but that wouldn’t do it justice!