03 Sep 2021

Our offer of Pieropan's single-vineyard Soave's last year was a great success and we have just managed to source allocations of the current 2019 releases, both scoring 94 points from James Suckling, alongside the benchmark 2020 Soave Classico.  

These mineral, saline wines from the volcanic soils on the hills around the medieval town of Soave are a world away from generic Soave, made on the flat plains, where the soil is overly fertile, leading to high yields and dilute wines.  The Soave Classico DOC is a more reliable indicator of quality than many classifications and within this area, Pieropan is a pioneer, with the 2020 Classico being a brilliant benchmark for the region. 

The Calvarino (or 'Little Calvary' vineyard produces wines with richness and roundness, but still manages to retain tension, with the wines aged on their lees for 12 months in concrete vats.  Wines from the Rocca vineyard (pictured, at the foot of La Rocca Castle) possess a pronounced minerality and spend a similar time on lees, but in larger, old oak barrels. 

Both single vineyard wines - particularly La Rocca - will age for up to a decade, acquiring a honeyed complexity, but we think they show best around two years after the vintage, making them perfect to enjoy this autumn.

Producer Profile

Pieropan, Soave

The Pieropan family have been producing wines in Soave since the 1890s and were the first to bottle wine under this name.  In the 1970s, Leonildo Pieropan tasked himself with what seemed an unlikely challenge at the time, to make one of Italy's finest white wines using a local grape variety, the native Garganega, rather than using 'noble' varieties like Chardonnay or Sauvignon.   He purchased the 'Calvarino' ('Little Calvary') vineyard in 1971, the name reflecting the steep, rocky volcanic soils, at 200-300m elevation.  Extremely hard to work, they also produce wonderful, age-worthy wines.  The limestone-rich La Rocca vineyard followed, dramatically set at the foot of the medieval La Rocca castle which dominates the town. 

Today, the estate is run by Leonildo's sons, Andrea and Dario. Calvarino is aged on its lees for 12 months in concrete vats, whereas La Rocca spends a similar time on lees in larger old oak barrels.  Calvarino has richness and roundness but still manages to retain a tension about it, whereas La Rocca is all about focused minerality.  Both wines - particularly La Rocca - will age for around a decade, acquiring a honeyed complexity.  The Soave Classico is a benchmark for the region.