Valpolicella
Classico Superiore
Grapes varieties:
55% Corvina
40% Corvinone
5% Rondinella
Production area:
Hills near Negrar di Valpolicella
Altitude varies from 280 to 450 mt. a.s.l.
Vineyards exposition South-East and South-West
Age of the vines: from 10 to 50 years
Training systems: Pergola Veronese and Guyot (6000 vines per Hectare)
Winemaking process:
The grapes to produce Valpolicella Classico Superiore are picked and selected the first and second week of October. 50% of the grapes is immediately pressed in truncated cone oak vats where fermentation with indigenous yeasts starts after 2 days of maceration.
The must stays with its skins for about 18 days, during which several pumping-overs and skins submersions are performed. It is then racked off and left in a steel tank for 3 months. The other 50% of the grapes is left to dry in plastic plateaux for 3 months and then pressed. Fermentation starts immediately with indigenous yeasts and after 10 days the Valpolicella Classico produced in October with the first 50% of the grapes is added.
In the following 30 days while the wine ferments several pumping-overs and delestage for the skins submersion are performed again. Once fermentation is completed the wine is racked off in steel tank to decant for 10 days. Finally, the wine is racked off again to wooden barrels to finish its aging.
Aging:
42 months of aging
32 months in 700 l new barrels
10 months in 75 Hl barrel
Bottling:
The Valpolicella Classico Superiore is bottled after 4 years of aging and it remains in bottle for about 6 months before being sold.
The production amounts to 12.000 bottles.
Serving temperature:
From 18° ai 20°C
From 64.5 to 68°F