2022 Pieropan, Soave Classico DOC “Calvarino” Veneto, Italy.
I got a chance to re-visit the glorious Pieropan Soave offerings, which again prove that region and the Garganega grape found in this Calvarino cru example are capable of great things, with this 2022 showing outstanding form. Tasted at the San Francisco Gambero Rosso Tre Bicchieri tasting, this Pieropan Calvarino is again a charmer with bright and energetic character with a delicate white blossom nose and stony detail showing off lemon/lime, peach and a hint of green apple fruit. It has a complex background that gives snappy herbs, almond oil, leesy notes and lingering mineral and orange blossom. This dry and precise Calvarino, a bit more subtle than the 2019 I last tasted, but still has a nice mouth watering saline, refreshing acidity and a steely presence, to go with a medium bodied and elegant palate. The winery notes that, Calvarino, that was first bottled as a single vineyard wine in 1971, is situated in the heart of the Soave Classico zone and is a cornerstone of the Pieropan’s family vineyards, who bought this cru site back in 1901. The name, they say, was derived from ‘Little Calvary’ referring to the difficulties in working the land here and the tortuously winding path that takes you from top to bottom. The winery notes that, Calvarino, with its unique volcanic influence, was first bottled as a single vineyard wine in 1971 and is situated in the heart of the Soave Classico zone and is a cornerstone of the Pieropan’s family vineyards, who bought this cru site back in 1901. The name, they say, was derived from ‘Little Calvary’ referring to the difficulties in working the land here and the tortuously winding path that takes you from top to bottom, but it is a labor of love at Pieropan.
The Pieropan Calvarino Soave Classic is a distinct and beautiful with crisp detail and surprising depth, it highlights Pieropan’s commitment to quality and this wine’s unique terroir character, but it also, as I have been mentioning for a few years now, puts a spotlight on incredible rise in greatness of Italian white wines in general and in Soave in particular. The Catina Pieropan, originally founded in 1880, continues to lead the way in this region and this Calvarino is one of stars, and I highly recommend this bottle and exploring Soave wines. The Pieropan winery, like Inama and Prà, makes a stellar Soave and were one of the first to do single vineyard wines, like this Calvarino, up at close to 300 meters, which comes from 30 to 60 year old organic vines set on a hillside in the Classico zone on complex volcanic soils with tufaceous elements and basalt, which gives this wine its soul and terroir flavor profile. The Calvarino is made from 70% Garganega and 30% Trebbiano di Soave, which is another name for Ugni Blanc, and crafted using hand-picked fruit, usually in two harvests to select only the best and the ripest grapes. The winemaking focuses on purity with the grapes getting a gentle de-stemming and crushed with the free run juice being fermented separately at cool temps in glass-lined cement tanks, where the wine is also aged for a year with lees contact before bottling. As always, Pieropan has done a masterful job with the latest lineup and this wine is a superb meal wine with enough depth and substance to go with many cuisine choices, though it is exceptionally good with Linguini and Clam pasta, as well as a nice pairing with roast poultry. I sampled the Pieropan Classico, the cru La Rocca, which is equally outstanding and a distinctive alternative version, and this Calvarino, which maybe was my favorite on the day.
($30 Est.) 94 Points, grapelive