The Azienda Agricola Trabucchi d’Illasi was founded by the lawyer Marco Trabucchi in 1920, in a hamlet of Illasi (Monte Tenda), in Valpolicella, 15 kilometers east of Verona. In the 1950s the company passed to Marco’s son, Professor Alberto, who, despite being a luminary of private law, who came to write a manual on the subject, still considered a reference text for university students and not only, worked with equal vigour and enthusiasm for the wine production of Valpolicella. Among the various campaigns conducted as mayor of Illasi (it was for 40 years), it is worth remembering how much he spent himself for the application of the DOC to the whole territory of Valpolicella, favoring the enhancement of its wines.
Since the late 1980s the winery has been run by his son, Giuseppe d’Illasi, and his wife Raffaella, who immediately gave a further boost to its development, with the choice of converting the 22 hectares of vineyards (and 6 of olive groves) to the organic regime as early as 1993. In addition, the spouses Trabucchi have taken a decisive step towards the production of quality with the construction, in 2002, of the new cellar, 3000 square meters organized on three floors entirely underground, up to 20 meters deep, with the vineyard growing on the attic of the last floor, connected to the old structure by an underground tunnel. The use of modern oenological instruments, together with the perfect isothermy and the absence of external noises or vibrations, guarantee the wine production and aging in optimal conditions.
Each operation is supervised by the oenologist Franco Bernabei who, assisted by Aristide Piovan (for the winery) and Matteo Merzari (for the vineyards), has set up a production methodology made of low yields per plant, high selection of bunches, a lot of manual work and a series of about 50 different types of analysis to which the entire production process is subjected, from green pruning to aging. The result of so much attention is this Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso Villa Trabucchi DOC, a classic blend of Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella, Oseleta and Forselina, made from grapes that grow at 200 meters above sea level with the Pergola Veronese method. Once in the cellar, the grapes dry slightly for 3-4 weeks and then, after their vinification, the wine is aged for 24 months in oak barrels.
The 2016 vintage has an intense and impenetrable ruby red color, with an olfactory range that opens on notes of overripe durone cherry, black cherry syrup, tomato concentrate and boisée, combined with cooked plum, green branch of cinchona, dark chocolate and aromatic pipe tobacco, with conclusive echoes of graphite. In the mouth the wine is built around the alternation between the concentration of roundness (which almost seems to give an idea of sweetness) and the sapidity, enriched by a hint of green pepper and a balsamic freshness, necessary to balance the sip; all accompanied by the return of dark red fruit, spice and branch of cinchona that accompany the sip up to an excellent length closure.
Rating: 89/100
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