Winemaker Notes
Straw yellow with considerable intensity and brilliant highlights. This wine is creamy and elegant. It is characterized by freshness and aromas of citrus, herbs, and mineral. On the palate the wine is well-balanced and refreshing with a dry and persistent finish.
Best served with delicate fish-based dishes, truffle or mushroom risottos, and medium-flavored cheeses as well as a variety of vegetarian dishes.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A serious and very precise Soave with subtle citrus aromas and notes of orange blossoms, hay and crushed stones. Fine-tuned and focused, with a medium body and fine texture. Tangy and tense with a gentle phenolic touch and hints of lemon peel and ginger at the end. 100% garganega. From organically grown grapes.
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Vinous
The 2022 Soave Classico Monte Carbonare is smoky, with a whiff of gravel dust and savory herbs giving way to lime zest and a note of fresh spring rain. This boasts a lovely inner sweetness and attractively round textures. Nuances of candied citrus add dimension to a core of ripe orchard fruits. The 2022 tapers off long and perfumed. I love the generous nature of this succulent, fabulously balanced Monte Carbonare.
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Wine Spectator
Snappy acidity and a chalky tex- ture are a vivid frame for flavors of red apple, plum, blanched almond, fresh chamomile and broom notes. This version is juicy and well-balanced, with lasting spice and mineral accents on the silky finish.
One of Italy’s classic white varieties, Garganega flourishes in the rolling vineyards surrounding the medieval village of Soave and is the dominant variety in the wine from the region, aptly known as, Soave. By law it makes up 70-100% of the blend with the remainder traditionally finished off by Trebbiano di Soave for its crispness. Somm Secret—The best Soave wines, measurably elegant and vibrant, come from the Soave Classico zone, in the center of Soave, where the hills are made of decomposed volcanic and granitic soils.
Among Italy’s classic whites capable of great potential, Soave is named after the medieval village and surrounding hillsides from whence it comes. The original, historical Soave zone, delimited back in 1927, covers the eastern, volcanic hillsides of today's general Soave zone and is called Soave Classico.
Garganega, the indigenous grape responsible for great Soave, produces medium bodied white wines with fine acidity. Typical in the best Soaves are lively flowery and fresh herbal aromas and flavors such as orange zest, peach, melon and marjoram. The best can take some age and in so doing, develop notes of chamomile, marmalade and honey.
By the 1960s and 70s, Soave was enjoying such a glorious global reputation, that its demand forced growers to push beyond the zone's original borders. Expansion led west out of the hills and onto the alluvial plain of the Adige River. This, coupled with an increase in yields and allowance of additional varieties such as Trebbiano, Chardonnay and Pinot blanc, met demand but created a softer, fruit-forward, everyday Soave. Today the broader region can be the source of charming and value driven whites. But those labeled as Soave Classico or in rare cases, as Soave Colli Scaligeri (nearby hillside vineyards abutting the Classico zone), will be the best quality and age-worthy Soaves. These are often 100% Garganega.