2024 Pieropan - Soave DOC Classico Calvarino (750ml)

The Pieropan family has been making wine in the Veneto since the early 1900s, and it was Pieropan that first put the word "Soave" on a wine label and, in 1971, released Calvarino as Italy's first single-vineyard white. Brothers Andrea and Dario Pieropan now lead the estate, staying true to native varieties and a hands-off winemaking style that lets the volcanic terroir speak clearly in every bottle.

Calvarino comes from the family's original vineyard, purchased in 1901, planted on basalt-rich volcanic soil at 95 to 145 meters and facing northwest. The vines, some thirty to sixty years old, are farmed organically and yield a blend of roughly 70% Garganega and 30% Trebbiano di Soave. Grapes are hand-picked in two passes to capture only the ripest fruit, then destemmed and gently pressed before fermenting at low temperature in glass-lined concrete tanks, where the wine also ages on its fine lees for about a year.

The result is a straw-yellow wine with green-gold highlights, opening with floral and citrus aromas alongside elderberry, apple, pear, and a background of hazelnut. The palate is dry, fresh, and elegantly structured, carried by bright acidity and a long, saline mineral finish. It pairs beautifully with poached fish, shellfish, or a creamy risotto.