Country: Italy  Region: Veneto  Vintage: 2016

Grape: 60% Corvina/ Corvinone
15% Croatina
15% Rondinella
10% Other Native Red Varietals

Category: White Wine  Color: White

Producer: Pieropan

VINTAGE

Mild temperatures and moderate rains accompanied the winter
season. The beginning of the vines’ growth cycle saw abundant
rain, but was thankfully followed by a hot and dry period. This
allowed for perfect health and organoleptic qualities in the
grapes, making this 2015 vintage one of the best, if not the best, of
the last 20 years.
PRODUCER
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.
VINEYARDS
In 1999, The Pieropan family bought uncultivated land on the hill of
Garzon, which is 400 metres 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.
VINIFICATION
The grapes were hand-picked and dried naturally, then destemmed and pressed using a nitrogen press. 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.