2020 Musella, Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso

For those who remember when Valpolicella Ripasso was one of the trendiest Italian wines on the market, today’s wine may prompt the same reaction in you as it did in us: Where have you been, old friend? And, to take it a step further, how does Musella put a Demeter-certified biodynamic wine of this quality in the bottle at such a modest price? In past offers of Musella wines, we’ve tended to focus more on technique than terroir, because wines like Valpolicella Ripasso and its bigger, brawnier brother, Amarone, are indeed wines that necessitate some intervention by the winemaker. But, as its importer aptly describes it, Musella is a “modern-day Garden of Paradise” just outside the beautiful city of Verona. For many years, Valpolicella was more of a “brand” in the US, but this wine from Musella needs to be justly celebrated as a serious wine of place. It is strikingly pure, blessed with a beautifully silken texture thanks to the ripasso process (more on that below), and aromatic as all ge