Ultra bargain 98 point Super Tuscans do not last long around here. If you missed the Adulis Toscana earlier, we have another big, ripe, mouthfilling red for the same price. This time we venture to beautiful Verona, where a juicy Valpolicella Ripasso awaits…

If you’ve had good Amarone, you already know - there’s nothing quite like it. Mindblowing, generous, and mouthcoating with richness, it’s a treat that’s often priced upwards and over $100.

So how can you resist a BABY Amarone for $29 that hits 98 & 96 Points with 35% OFF on top?!

We blew through the $80-per-bottle ‘big boy’ version earlier this month and went crying for more from the source. “We have the cure” they said. Not that iconic rock band, but an equally pleasurable and dangerously drinkable Ripasso!

This has all the Amarone feels, without the Amarone price.

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate writes “Luciano Arduini and his son Andrea run a vibrant boutique winery located between the stone-terraced hills of Corrubbio and Castelrotto. The Arduini family has taken great care to safeguard the traditions of Valpolicella. The estate has seven hectares of vine, some of which are planted with the characteristic pergoletta Veronese (overhead) training system commonly used in the steep terrains of Northern Italy.”

Amarone, for those new to it, is a powerfully hedonistic wine from the Verona region in Northern Italy. It’s made from air-dried grapes, which basically wither down to raisins before fermentation. This process concentrates the extract inside berries to bring out all kinds of interesting phenolic compounds. Ripasso on the other hand, is a singular style, whereby crazy Italians take a young Valpolicella and repass (ri-pass-o) it through still fermenting, sugar-rich dried grape skins off the Amarone press.

The result? The intricate aromatics of an Amarone without the hefty price tag! From the civilization who brought us pasta, espresso, and da Vinci. Brilliant, right? We snagged a tad more than the Amarone we previously sold, but it’s never enough when with monstrous scores and under $30?!

Off to the ‘Proceed to Checkout’ races Enzo Ferrari style.

98 Points, The Best Italian Wines – Luca Maroni

96 Points – Decanter World Wine Awards

“Ripe and bold with a sweet, jammy fruit profile. There are light black cherries intertwined with sweet spices and a precise fruit palate. The mouthfeel is tight, intense, and deep with an oak sheen and a note of peppery development.”