PL Award 1: Silver - SWA 2017
Country: Italy Region: Veneto Vintage: 2017
Grape: 60% Corvina/Corvinone
15% Croatina
15% Rondinella
10% Other Native Red Varietals
Category: White Wine Color: White
Producer: Pieropan
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Pieropan's estate covers 46 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, now work with him running the estate. From the 2015 vintage onwards, all Pieropan wines are organically certified.
Vineyards
In 1999, The Pieropan family bought uncultivated land on the hill of Garzon, which is 400 meters above sea level in Cellore Illasi. The Illasi valley is to the west of Soave and has long been known for the quality of its Valpolicella. Pieropan planted vines here in 2000. The vineyard is south-facing with good exposure that ensures excellent ripening of the Valpolicella varieties (Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella and Croatina). The limestone and clay soil and the windy and dry micro-climate are all ideal conditions for the production of rich yet elegant wines. The vines are trained using the Guyot system, with 5,800 vines per hectare. The vineyard is certified organic.
Vintage Information
Plenty of rain and snow over the winter allowed for the underground water reserves to be replenished before the growing season of 2013. Some persistent late winter weather slightly delayed the start of the growing season. Spring 2013 saw high rainfall and relatively low temperatures. In fact, the rainfall recorded up to the end of May was equal to that of the whole of 2012 (over 600mm). Only in mid to late July did the wet weather cease, making way for a heat wave, with very positive effects on grape maturation ready for harvest from the 1st to the 20th of October.
Vinification
The grapes were hand-picked during September and dried naturally, then pressed and de-stemmed. The must was fermented at 23-24ºC for approximately 30 days during which time pumping over and punching down the cap took place every day. The wine was aged in 500 litre barrels for 36 months followed by a year in bottle before release.
Tasting Notes
Brilliant and intense ruby red in colour, this is a wine with a heady perfume of black cherries and red summer fruits with notes of pepper and sweet spice. On the palate it is complex and rounded, with a powerful structure supporting the fruit and a lovely freshness on the finish. A wine with plenty of character with the potential to age well.
