The Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore DOC Excellentia, offered here by Azienda Agricola Monte Cillario, represents the right compromise between the freshness and immediacy of vintage Valpolicella and the depth of the winery's best Amarone. A perfect wine for convivial gatherings, claim the winery. And it certainly is. The grapes are grown partly with the typical Veronese pergola and partly with the more modern guyot. Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella and Croatina, harvested perfectly healthy, by hand. In the cellar we start with a maceration phase of about 3-5 days, at low temperature, followed by the fermentation phase and the classic ripasso. Ageing is in second passage tonneaux, where the wine rests for 12-18 months. Then, after bottling, the wine rests for about another 2 months in the bottle. To the eye, the wine has a beautiful intense red colour with violet reflections. The nose is pleasantly fruity, with hints of cherry and toasty notes. In the mouth, however, one discovers a wine characterised by a full and balanced flavour. Enveloping, with soft tannins and the typical morello cherry aftertaste. Excellent with main courses of meat and game, perfect with hard cheeses.