Corte Sant'Alda Campi Magri Valpolicello Ripasso Superiore 2016

Valpolicella, Italy, is a region filled with a rich history of winemaking and is known for its innovative approaches and techniques.  While grapes have been grown in the area for centuries, within the last 60 years, Valpolicella has gained worldwide recognition.  Wine production here has seen wide swings from the market’s peak in the 1960s to a severe drop in price and quality from the 80s to early 90s, and a resurgence of small family producers, rehabilitating vineyards and wineries, in the late 90s through the early aughts.  This story holds true for the owner and winemaker of Corte Sant’Alda, Marinella Camerani.  

As economics will teach us, bubbles eventually burst, and in the case of Valpolicella, this happened in the late 80s.  When the region gained DOC status (Denominazione di Origine Controllata-the second highest quality tier in Italy’s classification system), prices steadily climbed.  At the same time, growers began transitioning their vineyards toward high-volume production to take advantage of this economic swing.  This shift resulted in a diaspora of the area’s better producers who refused to sacrifice quality for quantity as well as a decline in price per ton due to market saturation.  Thankfully for lovers of Valpolicella wines, growers like Marinella Camerani saw the writing on the wall and invested in rehabilitating her family’s vineyards.

Marinella credits the low-yielding harvest of her vineyards in 1985 as the “kick in the pants” moment she needed to consider the entire ecosystem of her property and reimagine their approach to farming.  So, in 1986, Marinella planted new vines and converted farming to organic, then biodynamic practices.  This change meant a new vine training system, different cover crop management, and the elimination of harsh pesticides and herbicides.  The winery is aptly named after her daughter Alda since Marinella views her role primarily as a steward of the land for the next generation.  “This land has been put in my hands and I feel the duty to give it back, when it will be, in an improved state, complete, free, with its own soul.”

You may know the region’s name for its famous Amarone wines, made from the traditional method of drying grapes for months before pressing.  Valpolicello Ripasso Superiore is born out of Amarone wines, with the leftover grape skins from making Amarone (called must) added to the wine during fermentation to enrich the color and depth of flavors.  The traditional grapes of Valpolicella (Corvinone, Corvina, and Rondinella) are thin-skinned, making for lighter-styled wines with delicate color.  Hence, the adoption of the drying and must-addition practices to deepen the color, amp up the tannin structure, and intensify the overall body and flavor of the wine.

The 2016 Campi Magri blends 50% Corvina Grossa, 30% Corvina, and 20% Rondinella from four of the property’s 13 plots.  The grapes are hand harvested and fermented natively in oak vessels, with the addition of Amarone grape must for six days.  As the Superiore designation requires, the wine aged for 24 months in massive, 400-gallon cherry wood barrels.  The wine is luxuriant, fruit-forward, and ripe on the nose, with a textured palate and chewy tannins.  Think Luxardo cherries, black plum hand pies, and cracked black pepper; layered complexity reminiscent of Amarone with juicy acidity and drinkability for the everyday.