94 points Vinous Media
Drinking window: 2026 - 2036
The 2019 Recioto della Valpolicella Classico wafts up with a darkly alluring bouquet, mixing dusty rose and violet tones with mocha and sweet pipe tobacco. Soothingly round and supple, it washes across the palate with juicy red berry fruits as sweet inner rose tones swirl throughout. Hints of blood orange mix with an air of cocoa and clove as the 2019 finishes long yet wonderfully fresh.

Driving toward the Tommaso Bussola winery I passed the site that used to be the Vigneto Alto vineyard. Sadly, those old vines were pulled out in 2022. Lovers of the Vigneto Alto need not worry just yet, as the 2013 has just been released. It’s a fantastic rendition of this exceptional wine. Readers can also look forward to the first release of a new single-vineyard Amarone from the Trapola vineyard in the 2019 vintage. Every time I taste through the Bussola portfolio, I'm reminded of how singular these wines are. Brothers Giuseppe and Paolo Bussola make wines that achieve a gorgeous balance between richness, complexity and refinement. Every bottle is a treat, and even their entry-level Amarone tends to leave most other wines in their peer group in the dust. - Eric Guido Sept 2025

Production area:
Hills near Negrar di Valpolicella
Altitude varies from 280 to 450 mt. a.s.l.
Vineyards exposition South-East and South-West
Age of the vines: from 10 to 50 years
Training systems: Pergola Veronese and Guyot (6000 vines per Hectare)

Winemaking:
The grapes to produce Recioto are selected in the middle of September. They’re brought in the Fruttaio and left in plastic plateaux where they are left to dry naturally for 4 months.
The 70% stays there for 120 days while the remaining 30% for about 180 days. In January the first part of the grapes is pressed, and fermentation starts with selected yeasts after 15 days of maceration. During the next 30 days pumping-overs and skins submersion are performed daily. The rest of the grapes that had been drying is then added to the wine starting a second fermentation which will last for 30 days. After this period, it is moved to a steel tank with its fine lees, where it completes its fermentation and aging.

Aging:
36 months in stainless steel tank

Bottling:
The Recioto Classico is bottled after 3 years of aging and it stays 6 months in bottle before being sold.
The production amounts to 2.000 bottles.