Pieropan Le Colombare Recioto di Soave Classico 2017  £32.50

PIEROPAN LE COLOMBARE RECIOTO DI SOAVE CLASSICO 2016 

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.

Grapes are picked from a range of different vineyards on the Pieropan estate. The vineyards are situated on volcanic soils, situated at 300 metres above sea level. The 30-year-old vines are trained according to the traditional Veronese pergola system, with 3,000 vines per hectare.

2016 began with a relatively mild and dry winter. However, abundant rain in May and June ensured that the vines had the necessary water reserves for the growing season. Warm and sunny summer days coupled with cool nights allowed the grapes to ripen slowly, retaining their refreshing acidity whilst accumulating rich and aromatic fruit flavours.

traight after picking, the grapes were laid on straw mats in a well-ventilated loft to dry for approximately five months. The name derives from the fact that only the best part of the bunch is used - the 'recie' or ears of the bunch. These grapes are the ripest because they have had the best exposure. A small amount of botrytis was encouraged, approximately 10-15% in total. In early spring, the semi-dried grapes were pressed, then the must was fermented at temperatures of 14-18°C, and aged in 2,500 large oak casks for two years. The wine spent a further six months in bottle before release.

This Recioto di Soave has an intense gold colour with perfumes of dried apricots and lightly toasted almonds. The wine has a perfectly balanced palate, with just the right level of delicate sweetness offset by fresh acidity. Lovely, rich, almost exotic fruit comes through on the palate, with a baked peach character and a long, perfumed finish.

2015 Review...

95 Points - RobertParker.com

The 2015 Recioto di Soave Classico Le Colombare (packaged in a 500-milliliter bottle) is a beautifully radiant and brilliant dessert wine that delivers thick layers of stone fruit, honey-roasted almond, butterscotch and crème caramel. At the end of the day, however, the ripe fruit tones are what make this dessert wine so desirable. The grapes are dried for five months before being pressed. The wine ages in oak for two years.

Monica Larner