This is the type of wine that made Allegrini famous - a dense red of extraordinary richness and length. Franco Allegrini is the winemaker, one of the finest in Italy. The grapes - Corvina, Rondinella and Sangiovese - are from vineyards first planted in 1962, and surround a superb Renaissance palace in the heart of Valpolicella now owned by the family. The grapes are picked in two sweeps - the first carefully fermented, the second air dried for two months before being added to the main portion of wine, then refermented in cask, much like the Ripasso method that has become so fashionable. This lends a dense, cherry complexity to the wine, rather than overtly oaky notes. The family suggest serving this wine with pork or saffron risotto.