Secco Bertani Valpolicella Classico Superior Ripasso

[Innkeeper]

2001 Secco Bertani, Valpalicella Classico Superior, Vino di Ripasso ($12.99 NH State Liquor Store). 14% Alcohol.

We spent the weekend with a friend in NH. On Friday evening she served a wonderful stuffed Cornish game hen dinner and a nice Gewurztraminer with it. No notes! Late that night she popped a red Virginian dessert wine that was fine, but I remember nothing! On Saturday the three of us spent a full day and evening down in Lowell, MA. We had a great dinner at the Athenian Corner Restaurant on Market Street there. We washed dinners of baked lamb and lamb kebabs down with their house red Greek wine, which was unknown (we had a real language problem) but one of the best red house wines ever in a Greek platz. We went back for more on Saturday afternoon.

Once back in NH on Sunday afternoon, after stopping at the State Store, we uncorked this one for quaffing with host and our son in law who came over with daughter and family to say hello and pick up some of our Grand Manan loot. As Ripasso's are wont to be, this one is/was a great quaffer. Huge raisiny fruit on the nose and upfront. Body as full as a loaded dump truck with extra chewy tannin crossed the palate and set off rockets on the finish. Loved by all, including our somewhat cautious host. Understand this is very widely distributed.

On the way home today we stopped for a mid day and principal meal as we old folks tend to do, at Royal River Grillhouse in Yarmouth, ME. Ate out on the covered deck overlooking about a billion dollars worth of floating stock. Bev had crabcakes and I had a duck comfit salad. Washed all down with glasses of perfectly chilled J. Lohr California Riesling in fairly decent stemware. All very nice, as was the whole weekend.

[This message has been edited by Innkeeper (edited 06-28-2004).]

[Innkeeper]

We popped an '08 tonight that we picked at the recent Italian Wine sale, so can't say exactly what the price was, but it was in the $10-$15 catetory. It was still a very nice wine that matched nicely with our Sauturday night steak, corn, and salad.

[TheEngineer]

They are advertising the sale at the NH wine stores in Boston!! I've picked up a few sales items in the past on my way up to Ski country.