The 2016 Valpolicella Classico Superiore Ripasso Ca'del Laito boasts a seductive and perfumed bouquet, with notes of brown spice and tobacco blossoming further to show raspberry coulis and a lifting hint of fresh mint. This is quite savory, with silky textures ushering in cool-toned red and black berries and inner herbal tones. Sweet tannins come forward through the long finale, balanced by a concentration of primary fruits, promising years of positive evolution in the cellar. The Ca'del Laito is matured in a combination of 50% third-pass tonneaux and 50% large, 25-hectoliter barrels for 23 months. There's beautiful symmetry in this gorgeous Ripasso, but don't expect it to perform like a baby Amarone.

Eric Guido - Vinous Media (91)