May 2011
I've been lucky enough to spend some time in Soave and through the generosity of the producer, I've been able to taste many wines, several in multiple vintages.This experience has certainly shifted my opinion of Soave from a simple, easy to drink young wine to one that almost... Read moreI've been lucky enough to spend some time in Soave and through the generosity of the producer, I've been able to taste many wines, several in multiple vintages.This experience has certainly shifted my opinion of Soave from a simple, easy to drink young wine to one that almost requires some age to show its best. Time and time again I felt that young versions of certain wines were simple and a bit richly fruited, only to discover that with a few years age, these wine turned into fresh (fresher than on release) expressive wines with a real sense of place.I'm not suggesting that these wines are going to become your new favorites, but I hope you take a look at my notes and see some that might lead you to a producer whose style you'll like. I was honestly impressed with the way many of these wines developed in the bottle and can see a whole new audience for these wines once they have been aged for several years. Of course that is not always possible and many people already love Soave on release, but if you've never had a Soave that sang to you, you might have just been drinking them too young!2007 Sandro de Bruno Soave Colli ScaligeriJust lovely on the nose with wonderful soil tones, flint, sour and slightly waxy fruits and a hint of almond all coming together. Almost loose on entry but with this great riverstone minerality that builds tension in the mouth as the slightly Muscat perfume builds on the palate. The fruit leans towards the citrusy end of the spectrum with this sapid, crystal clear minerality that extends right through the succulent long finish. 94pts2001 Gini Salvarenza Soave ClassicoWhite Burgundy-like on the nose with high-toned floral notes framed by notes of incense, mushrooms and waxy white fruits. Super elegant in the mouth with a touch of bottle sweetness to the almond and orchard fruit flavors. This is bright and precise with a combination of impressive freshness and lovely evolution of flavors. 93pts2007 Montetondo Foscarin Slavinus Soave Superiore Classico, 13.5% This smells of machine oil and butcher’s wax, sweet ripe fruit peaches, pressed flowers, banana peel (or maybe more plantain). Lightly nutty and super complex on the nose. Gorgeously balanced with rich fruit, brassy acids, precise succulent flavors of peach, almond skin, mineral and dried apricot. This finishes with real richness and an almost sweet note before settling into a long, dried apricot-laced and mineral finish. Atypical, but impressive. Wow, really balanced and complex. 92pts 2008 Sandro de Bruno Soave Superiore Monte San PietroWaxy fruit on the nose with a slight dried edge that recalls heirloom apples. Very mineral in the mouth with lovely apricot fruit and really tense mineral highlights that are really assertive but balanced with the fruit. The finish is really long with a fine succulence and a mineral precision that is quite focused. This is Soave? 92pts2007 Sandro de Bruno Terre de TerrossaTerpene-rich nose with a huge, flinty mineral presence. On the palate this lean and focused with fruit that blossoms in the glass. Fresh, long and bright with fruit that is a touch simple, but superb inner mouth perfumes and piercing minerality that carries the finish 92pts2007 Gini Salvarenza Soave ClassicoA touch of dried orange rind greets the nose followed by white flower, nut meats and waxy white fruits all baked up with gentle medicinal herb tones. On the palate this is very precise with a generous yet focused mouthfeel that features mineral and peach flavors with inner mouth perfumes of fresh orchard fruits. Lovely length and definition of flavor. 92pts2008 Gini La Frosca Soave ClassicoDeep aromatics with notes of almond milk, almond husks and ripe orchard fruits. Tense on the palate with dried apple fruit up front and a nice mineral streak carrying through the palate. This has great focus in the mouth with emerging notes of honeycomb and spice adding complexity to the lightly orange marmalade scented peach and apricot fruit. 91pts2009 Tenuta Sant'Antonio SoaveHigh-toned lightly spicy nose is full of orchard fruits. Fairly rich on the palate with a pronounced, though integrated, mineral element adding nice dusty cut to the ripe fruit mid-palate and turns almost salty on the finish. With air the fruit become more prominent early on, turning almost sweet. The sapid minerality really refreshes the finish. 91pts2007 Corte Adami Vigna delle Corte Soave Huge soil notes on the nose with smoke, flinty notes and a lovely fresh acacia flower top note. Superb integration in the mouth with an elegant feel and wonderfully fresh and precise apple and herb fruit on the mid-palate. The finish shows fine, firm minerality but also a bit of alcoholic heat that mars it a bit. 91pts2006 Montetondo Soave ClassicoDried peach, flowers and clear mineral notes join together on a nose that is topped with a light terpene note. Nicely fruity in the mouth with a hint of almost over-ripeness on entry but then the acids jump up and the fruit turns precise and fresh on a base of salty minerality that extend on the long finish. Really in a great place today. 91pts2010 Montetondo Soave ClassicoReticent on the nose with pure melon and peach fruit gently topped with hints of herbs. Richly fruited on entry with refreshing acidity that helps to firm up the mid-palate. This offers really nice balance between the honeydew and apple flavors and the dry palate keeps this really interesting extending the long, softly mineral finish. 90pts2008 Cantina del Castello Carniga Soave ClassicoSmoky on the nose and full of dried fruit tones with a spicy soil-driven base. Much lighter than expected on the palate with finely integrated tannins adding a slight textural complexity and supporting apricot and mineral flavors on the mid-palate that yield to deep mineral notes on the finish. A bit of a tricky wine to understand. 90pts2002 Coffele Soave ClassicoTight little mineral nose with floral top notes over a peachy, meaty, lightly smoky core of fruit. This is rich and truly elegant on the palate with fine transparent peach fruit. From a weaker vintage this may have lost its early fruit, but has a wonderful elegance today with remarkable freshness. 90pts2010 Fattori Monte Piane Soave The nose is a little lifted with notes of dried fruits and dried flowers (polleny even), as well as lightly honied. Powerful entry but quickly turns a bit lighter than expected with some polyphenol bitterness, good mineral tones and a spicy, tense, clean finish. 90pts 2010 Vicentini Terre Lunghe Soave A little spice and vanilla on the nose with a nice redwood, nettle tone. Bright on entry but broad with gentle layered mineral, spice, nectarine and pithy citrus fruit tones. The mineral top note on the palate really asserts itself on the finish, lending this a firmness and vibrancy as the minerality plays off the lime flavors. With air this gains some focus but the flavors begin to meld together. Definitely a wine that will improve with time. 89pts2009 Coffele Soave ClassicoAcacia and balsam tones dominate the aromatic nose with notes of lemon oil, slate and mineral emerging with time. Round and fairly opulent with nice apple fruit supported by nicely integrated acids. This has a fresh but tactile finish with decent length for a wine that turns surprisingly elegant while remaining fairly rich. 89pts2010 Coffele Ca Visco Soave ClassicoFloral and decidedly citrusy on the nose with orchard fruits supported by citrusy fruit. Rich and fairly intense in the mouth with peach, citrus and orange flavors that hint at tropical fruit. A lively finish with a hint of tannin and nice mineral notes that fade slowly on the long finish. 89pts2009 Coffele Alzari Soave ClassicoTight on the nose with earthy tones under dried fruit skin notes. A silken entry with a really gentle and fine depth of citrus accented by ripe orchard fruits. A fine, firm mid-palate is rich with bright, pithy lemony citrus fruit tones that leads to an elegant finish. 89pts2009 Fattori Danieli SoaveApricot and floral on the nose with an underlying sweetness and lightly salty mineral top notes. Tense and nicely rich in the mouth with very smoky tinged mineral flavors. Nice clarity in the mouth aided by bright acids and salty minerals. A touch elegant with fine fruit and the clarity of a fine Chablis. 89pts2009 Corte Adami Vigna delle Corte Soave A touch herbal on the nose with a dried grass element adding some complexity to the core of apple fruit and slatey mineral top notes. Fine balance in the mouth with a rich feel from a month's drying of the grapes. Still very fresh in the mouth with nice mineral and almond accent notes that enhance the fruity mid-palate but loses focus on the moderately long finish, which has a sneaky mineral undertone. 89pts2008 Montetondo Foscarin SlavinusPear wood on the nose, which is a bit flat with a growing balsamic top note. Rich and fruit-driven on entry with excellent firm acidity and hints of wood spice and tannin lending nice support on the mid-palate. The fruit is a bit simple, aptly, with bright acids that help drive the fruit-driven finish. 88pts2008 Sandro de Bruno Soave Superiore Leesy on the nose with growing notes of smoky minerals that explode from the glass with air. Nice richness in the mouth with fine acid balance and a hint of tannin here. The fruit is fresh and cool on the palate, supported by the light spice of the tannin, though the wine is a touch simple. 88pts2010 Fattori Runcaris Soave ClassicoRaw almond and floral notes on the nose with a building array of acacia, citron and melon aromas. Bright and round in the mouth with a rich melony mid-palate that has a peach accent tone. Lightly mineral with a fresh, easy, clean feel and a touch of cool icy spice on the finale. 88pts2010 Corte Adami SoaveVery citrusy on the nose with a fresh character recalling grapefruit and plums. Nice and gently fruited in the mouth with some baby fat lending this a slightly larger than expected feel in the mouth. This is just lovely with sweet lemony fruit up front followed by peach and mineral notes in a balanced, fresh, if somewhat simple package. 88pts2009 Fattori Runcaris Soave Classico, 13%A little sulphury on the nose though the aromas of apple, wildflower and crisp, almost piercing notes of white fruit get the upper hand. Really precise and crisp in the mouth with a lovely feel. Round without being soft. The fruit is transparent and clear with green and white fruit notes framed with some gentle mineral spice tones that leads to a fairly long, refreshing finish. Very typical Soave. 88pts2009 Cantina di Monteforte Re Teodorico Soave, 12%Smoky and quartzy on the nose with a hint of burnt rubber over a core of dried herb and honeycomb. At first this seems a bit creamy, but the quincey fruit and intense minerality really snap this together. With air some pear and apple fruit add some complexity but the long, succulent finish remains tense and dry with terrific minerality. 88pts2009 Cantina del Castello Pressoni Soave ClassicoMineral on the nose with a touch of banana peel, some orchard fruits, but mostly mineral. Crisp on the palate with nice sapid, salty minerality balanced against gentle peach fruit. Really very finely balanced and focused, if a touch simple, though with great length and a fine salinity on the finale. 88pts2010 Gini Soave ClassicoClean and fruity on the nose with hints of vanilla and banana, accenting a sort of strawberry scented core. Crisp with nice weight in the mouth offering green apple-tinged flavors and a gentle mineral note that carries through the fresh, long finish. A touch of tannin on the finish. 87pts2010 Coffele Soave ClassicoWhite flowers and chalky minerals on the nose with a dry smell that retains some yeasty edges. Dry, strict and refreshing on the palate with bright orchard fruits framed with bracing notes of mineral and apple skins. Very precise and linear in the mouth. 87pts2010 Fattori Danieli Soave Citrus blossoms with a touch of sea air greets the nose. There are also soft notes of pine nuts, banana and lemon. Rich and relatively round in the mouth with a pretty, intense core of citrusy fruit. Nice clarity to the finish with gentle salinity on the modest finish. 87pts2008 Tenuta Sant’Antonio SoaveVery floral and very terpene on the nose with some citron peel in a long, fresh style with lemon verbena top notes. Open and broad in the mouth with a soft fruity edge and a core of bright bitter apple fruits that extend onto the moderate finish. 87pts2009 Allegrini Soave, 13%Pine nuts and flowers greet the nose over steely minerality and green plum fruit. Fairly rich in the mouth (but not heavy) with vibrant acids. The fruit is plump yellow peach and apricot on the palate with cutting acids that help refresh the finish. A bit simple but fresh and with good intensity. 86pts2010 Santi Vigneti di Monteforte Soave Classico, 12.5%Light and peachy on the nose with a gentle dusty undertone and a touch of rose petal. Fresh and crisp with apple and peach notes on the palate over mineral earth tones. A bit simple, but pure and fresh with decent length. 86pts2010 Cantina di Soave Rocca Sveva Soave ClassicoLime leaf, white fruit and white flowers come out on the bright nose. Pronounced acids on the palate, remaining well-balanced with crisp, transparent fruit on the mid-palate. Though this does turn a bit sticky on the back end, the pronounced acids help cleanse the palate on the modest finish. 86pts2009 Cantina di Soave Re Midas Soave, 12%Quite fruity and flush with notes of cut grass, green melon rind and toasted almond ice cream. Medium-bodied with nice acids and soft fruit, lending this a rather easy feel. There’s a creaminess on the mid-palate that some may find more attractive than I do, but this is fresh and fruity with a modest finish. 85pts2010 Cantina del Castello Soave ClassicoVery fruity on the nose with layers of banana, white peach, grapefruit and bay leaf. Bright with a touch of dissolved CO2 on the palate. Very bright acids balanced by some simple fresh fruits. Banana and strawberry up front, then peach and nectarine. Very easy and fresh with a light, crisp structure. 85pts (hide)
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