Luigi Righetti, Valpolicella Classico Superiore (Veneto, Italy) 2008

 I suspect that Ripasso Valpolicella is a “love it or leave it” sort of wine.  The “ripasso” technique involves adding the pomace of leftover skins and seeds from the fermentation of Amarone to an otherwise light-bodied Valpolicella, resulting in a wine with added body, color, tannin, and phenolics.  It’s beefed-up, but it also tastes slightly spent, its flavors now more closely resembling dried rather than fresh fruits.  Though that’s not what many contemporary wine drinkers expect from a glass of red wine, good examples like this one can be deliciously complex, with secondary aromas and flavors that bear more than a passing resemblance to Sherry or Madeira.