Winemaker Notes
Brilliant golden-green color. On the nose, complex and intense, mineral, rich in sweet fruity and enveloping notes, yellow flowers and tropical fruit. Flavors include fat on the palate, sapid, mineral, flint and clover. Flavours of ripe pear, yellow peach. Dense, round and intense, clear and persistent finish.
Pair with white meat dishes, flavorful fish, seafood, shellfish, fresh water shrimps.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Aromas of Spanish broom, acacia and yellow stone fruit mingle with whiffs of hazelnut on this stunning white. Elegantly structured, the radiant palate has depth and complexity thanks to volcanic soils and 100-year-old vines, delivering apricot, ripe pear and tangy mineral notes evoking oyster shell before a white-almond finish. Hold for even more complexity. Drink through 2026. Cellar Selection.
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James Suckling
A beautiful and rich white with lots of cooked apples and pears, minerals and hints of honey. Full-bodied, creamy and fruity. Lovely finish. This is always a top white.
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.