Valpolicella DOC Superiore “Rocolo” 2019
Falstaff 93
Wine Description
Rocolo is the Piccoli family's Valpolicella Superiore, and it gets treatment most houses reserve for far grander labels. The blend is the classical quartet of Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella and Molinara from the slopes of Monte La Parte; the grapes first rest 30 days in the fruttaio, a short appassimento that thickens the fruit, then ferment in steel at controlled temperature with repeated delestage, and the wine ages three years in French oak casks of 5 and 30 hectolitres with further months in steel and at least six in bottle.
The result is ruby with purple glints, elegant and layered: cherry and raspberry, flowers, a curl of eucalyptus and smoke, light vanilla and a persistent, energetic finish.
Serve at 16 to 18 °C with a short decant. It suits bigoli with duck ragù, roast guinea fowl, fegato alla veneziana or a board of soppressa and Monte Veronese, and it will keep for several years without complaint.
Winery
Piccoli is a small family winery at Parona di Valpolicella, founded over sixty years ago by the grandparents of the current generation, built up by Daniela and Tiziano, and now run by the sisters Veronica and Alice. The vines grow on Monte La Parte, where thin calcareous and tuffaceous soils and a high position give the fruit its cut, and the cellar keeps the old ways where they matter: grape drying in the fruttaio, gravity fed vinification, patient aging in French oak. Production is small, sustainably farmed and stubbornly personal.
