2016 Giuseppe Campagnola Valpolicella Ripasso

Happy Sunday!  Sometimes on a Sunday, you just need to open a wine from Italy, and after spending the afternoon working around the house on various projects and finishing with yard work, I am in need of a nice Italian Wine!  Tonight I've opened a bottle of 2016 Giuseppe Campagnola Valpolicella Ripasso that I bought from Wines Till Sold Out a few months back.  I am a big fan of Amarone, and for a more affordable alternative, I love a good Valpolicella Ripasso, or the second pressing of the dried grapes used for Amarone.  This wine is a classic blend of Corvina (60%), Rondinella (35%) and Molinara (5%).  So let's see how this one tastes.

The wine is a wonderful deep ruby color in the glass.  The nose presents aromas of blueberry, currant, and cherry with hints of rosehip and graphite.  The taste is very fruit forward with a rush of cherry, blueberry and currant that transitions nicely to notes of tar and pomegranate midpalate.  The tannins are well integrated, with balanced acidity to drive the long, lush and wonderfully dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, it's a pleasant drinking and food friendly wine that's also q solid value at just $15!  This wine would be wonderful with a creamy risotto, or pasta with cream sauce as the acidity of this wine would be an ideal balance.  It would also pair well with lamb, wild game or a classic well-marbled steak as the fruit and acidity would be great to cut through the fattiness of a prime steak, which is great since tonight I'm enjoying this wine with a grilled prime ribcap along with grilled romanesco and a big baked potato with all the trimmings.  Cheers!