Recioto della Valpolicella "Sant'Ulderico"

Italy
Veneto
2015

50% Corvinone/20% Corvina/20% Rondinella/10% Croatina-Molinara-Dindarella. The fruit for the recioto comes from the home vineyard--the same, terraced, certified-biodynamic vines that produce their Saseti and Saustò wines--but from the older vines (30-40 years) and actually harvested earlier than those for the other wines (grape health and acidity are crucial for the best final result). The bunches are laid out in single layers in small, slatted, wooden boxes that are stacked in the open-sided fruttaio next to the house/cellar. The drying process lasts around 4 months in this well-ventilated, cool space. The fruit is then destemmed, gently crushed and fermented spontaneously with a 15-day maceration. The wine finishes fermentation with residual sugar and is aged for 3 years in barrique, followed by 2 years in bottle. 

95 points
"The 2015 Recioto della Valpolicella Classico Sant' Ulderico is gorgeous, lifting from the glass with a wave of balsamic spice, clove, rum-soaked cherries and cedar. This is seamlessly silky yet nearly juicy on the palate, with vividly ripe wild berry fruits offset by blood orange, ginger and licorice nuances. The tapers off like molten chocolate, bittersweet and incredibly long, leaving a staining of bitter raspberry and cocoa to linger on and on and on. Yet again, Monte dall'Ora has produced one of the top Reciotos of the vintage. Drink this now with at least a few hours of air, or let it slowly evolve over decades in the cellar."
Eric Guido,
Vinous Media
March 2023

SKU/Code: 
DB7870-15
Product Line: 
Wine
Red
Varietal: 
Corvina blend
Farming Type: 
Biodynamic