Winemaker Notes
Blend: 85% Garganega and 15% Trebbiano di Soave
Professional Ratings
-
Decanter
There is a curious, engaging but subtle salty quality to the Soaves I enjoy the most. Flavors whirl around the mouth. It is here, this saltiness, energizing and invigorating. And it's persistent. Evidence that Garganega is an impressive grape. That Soave is truly a noble wine. Drink 2016-2019.
-
Wine Enthusiast
This wine is delicately perfumed with scents of pressed white flower, pear, white stone fruit and crushed rock. Crisp acidity carries the yellow apple, citrus zest and pineapple flavors while a light mineral vein backs up the finish.
-
Wine & Spirits
Flavors of Bosc pear and juicy lemon give way to creamy notes of lemon curd and cheese rind that feel rich and warm. The finish is round and ripe, with a pulse of zesty acidity that keeps it fresh and food-friendly.
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.