Pieropan, Valpolicella Superiore, 'Ruberpan'

A richer, broader Valpolicella, this wine is a bit like a cross between Valpolicella and Ripasso. No dried grapes were used, but the intensity from the vines and the manner in which the grapes are handled in the winery, creates a superbly enhanced, lifted and rounder experience than you'd expect from the category, without having to rely on the sometimes sweetness of the Ripasso menthids. 

In short, you get a balanced wine that shows the potential of Corvina to be made in a more extracted manner than usual, resulting in a wine that is on the fresher side of the scale than the richness of Ripassos, but with more complexity than most Valpolicellas.

This wonderful family winery is known for their timeless white wines, that are consistently of the highest quality in the Soave region. Pieropan have been producing stunning reds in the same region since they bought this neighbouring estate in the early 2000s. If you weren't aware, Valpolicella and Soave coexist almost in the same plots of land in this beautiful part of Italy, in the hills outside Verona. A bit like Romeo and Juliet...

Pieropan is now run by fourth-generation winemaker, Dario Pieropan, who has extended the considerable family legacy to include the production of red wines from the family estate, Villa Cipolla (or 'onion house' in English...) situated in the vineyards outside the village of Tregnano in the Valpolicella zone. Ruberpan was launched in 2003 from grapes grown on the slopes of Monte Garzon, in vines that are on average grown at 500m above sea level. The name Ruberpan is a clever amalgamation of the Latin "ruber" (meaning ruby red) and "pan" (from Pieropan).

The wine is a blend of Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella and Croatina grapes, all of which are native to the region. It is made from grapes grown in just eight hectares of 20 year old vines and after vinification, it spends between 18-24 months ageing in large oak barrels and further ageing in bottle at the estate. (How long? Well, until they think it is ready; the sort of care that you'd expect with this winery). As with all Pieropan wines produced since 2015, it's certified organic. We are delighted to be one of the very few places to bring Ruberpan to the Irish market; it's an excellent example of high quality Valpolicella... another home run for Pieropan!