Ca la Bionda Valpolicella Ripasso 2016

100% organic in practice since 2000 and certified in 2016, I like the “Go Big or Go Home” style of friend and winemaker, Alessandro Castellani. He uses zero chemical products anywhere on the farm or in the cellar, raises and breeds native Brogna sheep that keep the vines clear of weeds and provide “magical” natural fertilizer and plants a cover crop that is then tilled under to provide nitrogen and carbon to the soil. It’s 20 times the amount of work as conventional farming, it’s amazing it is not 20x the conventional price….

I also like the “go big or go home” style of the 2016 Valpolicella Ripasso Classico Superiore Malavoglia. This “baby Amarone” has a deep, crimson-red color and absolutely blasts from the glass at the first pour. The nose is wild, with earth-tinged dried cherry, fig, dark chocolate and cedar leading to a packed core of juicy fruit flavors. The finish is long and fresh, speaking to the limestone-affected soil Alessandro’s old vines are rooted in.