Winemaker Notes
Golden-hued and medium-bodied, this wine is a superlative expression of Garganega, the indigenous Northern Italian grape varietal used to make Soave Classico. With white blossoms and delicate fruit on the nose – golden apple, pear, a tinge of ripe lemon -- it features stony minerality, bright, refreshing\ acidity and lingering notes of honey.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2021 Soave Classico is remarkably pretty with yellow flowers, wet stone and freshly sliced pear. This is mineral and focused upon entry, with perfumed orchard fruits and a salty flourish that returns toward the close. Pear and peach skins resonate, as this tapers off lightly structured with an almost-herbal tea-like quality. The Classico is a blend of some of the region’s top vineyards with an average vine age of 90 years.
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Wine Spectator
A well-cut, minerally Soave, with a tropical edge of passion fruit and dried pineapple, a base note of petrol and aromas and flavors of poached apricot, orchard blossoms and grated ginger. Drink now through 2028. 9,000 cases made, 500 cases imported.
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.