Vino’s holiday sale this week features some of our favorite producers of classic Italian wines, continuing today with Le Ragose of Veneto, makers of Amarone and Valpolicella, two of Italy’s most famous wines.
Arnaldo and Marta Galli of Le Ragose are firm believers in terroir and tradition. For them a wine is much more than fermented grape juice: it is a result of the land where those grapes are grown and the people who grow them. In the hills above Verona, the couple planted their estate-owned vineyards in 1969 when they launched their now historic winery.
Recognizing that many excellent vineyard sites had been abandoned in favor of more easily-farmed sites on the plains, they replanted the Le Ragose and Le Sassine vineyards in the commune of Negrar and began making Valpolicella and Amarone della Valpolicella in as natural a way possible. These 40 acres of vineyard lie above the area’s notorious winter fogs; the terrain is particularly suited for vine growing and the climate ideal for the process of “appassimento” (drying of the grapes) necessary to produce Amarone.
Located in the town of Arbizzano, Le Ragose was one of a number of winemakers in the region which helped re-establish Valpolicella as a “classic” wine of Italy. Today the couple’s sons Paolo and Marco run the winery, maintaining its status as one of the most admired producers in the Veneto.
Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso 2005 Le Ragose
was $22, now $17.60
Using only indigenous, naturally occurring yeasts for fermentation, the wine is then aged in traditional large oak barrels. 50% Corvina, 30% Rondinella and 20% other varieties are vinified seperately then blended before being passed over Amarone gross lees to promote further alcoholic fermentation. The wine is aged for one year in steel and two in Slavonian oak casks.
Amarone della Valpolicella 2003 Le Ragose
was $62, now $49.60
The Galli’s Amarone is made from a “field blend”: while Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara are the three primary grapes used for this wine, the family allows other varieties (Sangiovese and Pinot Nero among them, depending on the vintage) to grow in their vineyards. They believe that this represents the true tradition of Amarone, where the vintage and Mother Nature herself determine which grapes will be used for the wines.
Remember, this 20% sale is for TODAY ONLY!
Please call 212-725-6516 or email contact@vinosite.com for more details.
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