Pieropan Soave Classico La Rocca 2017
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James
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Brilliant and intense yellow whit golden hints. Characterful wine, reminiscent of exotic fruit and nuts on the nose; soft and persistent on the palate, with hints of spice, length and elegance.
Makes an excellent partner to complex dishes, even with strong flavoursparticularly risottos such as porcini, or celery, squash and almond, salt codand other fish including salmon, scallops and crab.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A glorious Soave with cooked-apple, pear, honey and stone aromas and flavors. Full-bodied, layered and fruity with peach and light pineapple character on the finish. Drink and enjoy.
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Decanter
La Rocca is the most ambitious cru of Pieropan, sometimes not preferred to the fresher Calvarino which is blended with Trebbiano di Soave from volcanic soils. La Rocca is based on 100% Garganega from a chalky soil surrounding the village of Soave. Sometimes too oaky when young, it’s a wine to analyse on a forward-looking basis. Indeed, the warm 2017 vintage reveals a slightly herbal character with lemon leaves and typical apricot kernel notes melded with the toastiness of oak. Dry and medium-bodied, it shows delicate acidity and a silky-weighted palate, with an imperceptible phenolic grip and a savoury finish reminiscent of fresh almond. Drinking Window 2020 - 2035
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Wine Enthusiast
Aromas tropical fruit, chamomile, toasted nut and acacia lift out of the glass. The full, rounded palate doles out ripe apricot, yellow peach, juicy pineapple and grilled herb, while a bitter almond note graces the lingering finish. Drink through 2023.
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Wine & Spirits
La Rocca is a plush counterpart to Pieropan’s firm, floral Calvarino, also recommended here. Made from late-picked grapes briefly macerated before fermentation, this 2017 rested on the fine lees in wooden barrels (500 to 2,000 liters) for one year. It’s rich and honeyed, with gingery flavors of baked apple and yellow pear.
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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.