This was a Christmas Corporate Gift selected by Alan Crowley.
His tasting notes:
A Ripasso wine is made using normally harvested grapes. When the wine has finished fermenting, the skins of the dried grapes used to make Amarone are added to the wine and it undergoes another fermentation. This method of “refermenting” the wine gives rise to the Italian term of Ripasso, meaning “repassed over”. The wine then undergoes 12 months maturation in large old oak casks. This results in a delicious balance of the juiciness of fully ripened red grapes but with a depth of complexity and fullness. Bearing in mind the festive season, the classic Christmas dinner which is full of meaty flavours of roast turkey along with the tangy bitterness of sprouts, the sweetness of cranberry sauce and rich gravy is well partnered by the big full juicy spicy style of the Tommasi Ripasso. With the warmth, depth and complexity of fruit, spice, liquorice and rich plum flavours another way to enjoy this wine might be in quiet contemplation at the end of the day, perhaps relaxing in front of the fire.
McConkey Wine 