Made from Corvina, Corvinone, and Rondinella, the Valpolicella receives considerably more cellar time than the appellation requires. According to Kermit Lynch, Quintarelli’s importer, half the grapes are pressed immediately after harvest and half are dried for approximately two months. Fermentation begins with native yeasts, and the wine rests until February, when it is transferred onto the Amarone lees for a second fermentation, or ripasso. It then undergoes extended maturation in large Slavonian oak casks, traditionally around seven years. The combination of fresh fruit, dried fruit, and long cask aging is central to this wine’s character.