Featured in The Independent and named one of the Decanter Top-Scoring Valpolicella wines 2022

“A small boutique winery but a very different type of wine: light in colour and body, with dried cranberry and pomegranate flavours, a delicate touch of chocolate and a hint of pepper; really beguiling and interesting.” – The Independent (14 August 2020)

Winemaking

The Rubinelli family has been producing Amarone and Valpolicella wines for a hundred years. This Valpolicella Classico Superiore wine is made from a blend of very traditional grapes: 50% Corvina, 25% Corvinone, 15% Rondinella, 5% Molinara, 5% Oseleta. The grapes are harvested by hand in October. After one month of storage, in November they are softly crushed and fermented for 20 days. After this, the wine is kept on the skins for another six days to extract more colour and tannins. Then, the wine is left for 24 months to age and develop in large French oak barrels, where it picks up delicate flavours of chocolate. Finally, it is matured and refined for eight more months in bottle.

The vineyard of Rubinelli Vajol is very small only covering 10 hectares, with a wine cellar and fruttaio (drying lofts) set at the very centre. It is farmed in a very traditional way, with vines planted in terraces. The fields form a south-facing amphitheatre, which is very favourable for grape-growing because lots of sunshine helps the grapes to ripen fully. The cold breezes from Lake Garda to the west and the Alps to the north keep the air fresh even on the hottest days of summer, helping the grapes to retain their natural acidity. This area is famous for natural mineral water springs, and this water naturally flows just a few meters under the fields. This means that the vineyard is well-watered even in the driest seasons. The Rubinelli family relies fully on sustainable methods: they avoid all weedkillers and synthetic fertilisers, and the grapes are harvested only by hand.

Tasting notes

Medium ruby colour. Pleasant aromatic intensity of rose, strawberry and raspberry, underpinned with notes of biscuit, chocolate, dried cranberries and figs. On the palate, the wine is dry, with polished but firm tannins, a medium level of alcohol and a medium body. It is well-balanced with natural acidity, and each sip is full of pronounced flavours of flowers, chocolate, raspberry and dried fruits. The wine has an long fruity finish.

Ageing potential: 10 years

Awards

Decanter Panel Tasting 2022 – 91 points, one of Top-scoring Valpolicella wines (2016 vintage) |  Gambero Rosso – “Two Glasses” (2015 vintage) | James Suckling – 90/100 points (2014 vintage) | The WineHunter 2020 – Rosso (2015 vintage) | I Vini di Veronelli – 2 stars (2015 vintage)