'Calvarino' Soave Classico, Pieropan, Veneto, 2022

An absolute classic of a restaurant wine, every present on the best Italian lists around.  Though very well known, the quality shines through here and makes it a must have Whitfield Wine. 

Calvarino vineyard is the oldest of the three most famous at Pieropan - Calvarino, La Rocca and Garzon - as it has been with the family since 1901. It is located right in the heart of the Soave area and is blessed with amazingly rich and fertile volcanic soils.

This is an outstanding Soave made from organically grown grapes, that remains on lees in glass-lined cement tanks for a year, adding complexity and depth to the final wine. Flavours of green apple, almond, blossom and oyster shell are well held on this textured fine wine. 

Pieropan's estate covers 58 hectares of vineyard which are situated on the stony hills of Soave Classico. The Pieropan family has been producing wines in Soave since the 1890s. Indeed, they were the first producer to bottle a wine with the name Soave on the label in the early 1930s. Nino Pieropan took over from his father in 1970 and was the first producer in Soave to make a single-vineyard wine, 'Calvarino', in 1971. Nino's two sons, Andrea and Dario, took over the running of the estate in 2017 when Nino fell ill and before he passed away in April 2018. From the 2015 vintage onwards, all Pieropan wines are organically certified.

Grapes are Garganega & Trebbiano