Of the Corvina, Corvinone, and Rondinella grapes, 50% are pressed directly after harvest, and 50% are left out to air-dry for two months. The combined juice then ages for seven years—much longer than average—in large Slavonian oak barrels, resulting in a complex, graceful Valpolicella. The 2012 Valpolicella Classico Superiore opens up with dusty dried flowers, black cherries and exotic spices. It gains volume and richness the longer it sits in the glass. Its textures are silky, coasting along a medium-bodied frame with mineral-tinged red fruits energized by brisk acids. The 2012 becomes quite floral toward the close, and incredibly pretty as well, with hints of fine tannin under an air of geranium, violets and sweet lavender. I expect this will flesh out a bit more and excel with another year or two of cellaring. It was made from half fresh-harvested and half air-dried fruit which is matured for six years in cask prior to release