Pieropan Soave Classico Calvarino 2017
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Wine
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James
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Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Pale straw yellow in color, this wine offers a fresh, flowery nose with aromas of elder, lemon and cherry. The palate is dry, well-balanced and elegant, with tremendous length and finesse.
It makes an excellent aperitif and partners a wide range of dishes, especially vegetable quiches, delicately-flavored fish, shellfish and cheese souffles.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Heady aromas of yellow stone fruit, spring flower and wild herb mingle with a whiff of toasted nut. The elegant, savory palate delivers ripe apricot, creamy yellow pear and tangerine zest before a mineral-laden, saline finish. Tangy acidity brightens the rich flavors. For juicy fruit enjoy now, or hold for even more complexity. Drink through 2027.
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James Suckling
Lovely aromas and flavors of cooked peaches and straw. Medium to full body. Creamy texture. Flavorful finish. Salty and minerally. Pumice, too. Drink now.
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Wine & Spirits
The dark volcanic soils of Pieropan’s Calvarino plot yielded a beautifully floral and fresh wine in the 2017 growing season. Aged for one year in cement tanks, the wine shows flavors of lime and green papaya that ride a zip line of acidity through a long finish, picking up notes of citrus zest along the way. Its finely etched flavors and taut acidity suggest good aging potential.
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Decanter
In 1971, the steep Calvarino hill became the source of Soave’s first single-vineyard wine, still an icon of the region today. Elegant old-vine complexity, oyster shell breeziness and crisp citrus and orchard fruit, plus richer, more tropical tones on the long finish.
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Enclosed by the original town walls and dominated by its medieval fortress, Soave has a peaceful, timeless quality about it. In the heart of the old town is the winery of Leonildo and Teresita Pieropan, which goes back to 1860. The present Leonildo ("Nino")'s grandfather, Leonildo Senior, founded the estate and 'invented' Recioto di Soave, a concentrated dessert wine applying a system similar to Tuscany's governo to the indigenous, white Garganega grape.
Today, the estate's 74 acres under vine include three single vineyards, all within the historical backbone of the Soave appellation (Soave Classico): Calvarino, La Rocca and Le Colombare. Terrain is respectively clayey/basaltic, calcareous/clayey, and clayey/marly/tuffaceous, yielding small crops of highly concentrated Garganega and Trebbiano grapes. The range is crafted by Leonildo himself, whose wine-making genius, constant research and innovative methods have carved a unique niche for these exceptional, extract-full and long-living whites that go far, far beyond their own appellation.
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.