1999 Zenato Valpolicella Ripassa

[quijote]

At a wine tasting a while back I tried a ripasso and adored it, so I bought this one for further exploration. Aromas of ripe plums and raisin-rum fruitcake are followed up nicely by flavors of raisin and prune. There is a slight bitter finish, but not as detectable as with the two other ripassi I've tried. More tannic than expected. $19.00, Alc. 13%

From what I've been learning about Valpolicella Ripassa, it should be a fairly smooth wine, but I was surprised by the rather forceful tannins on this one. Did I open this too early?

Also, though this wine was good, I like a somewhat more bitter sensation. Are ripassi really only supposed to carry the faintest trace of bitterness? Or am I just odd for liking more bitterness?

Any suggestions on ripassi that I might like more?