Pieropan Soave Classico La Rocca 2021 (750ml)
James Suckling: 95 Points
A different, fuller-weighted brood, boasting ample stone fruits, nutmeg and truffle. Savvy use of oak (tonneaux and larger format French) and extended lees aging. A vineyard was purchased in 1976, situated directly behind the town's castle. Lower altitude, with clay and limestone (rather than the more pervasive volcanics), finding effortless confluence with a winemaking approach that has long-defined this fuller-weighted, late-harvested, highly textural expression. While an outlier stylistically, there is often a fleck of botrytis, all tamarind and dried mango, that melds with the underlying tension to impart generosity and evince authority. Drinkable now, but best from 2026.
Robert Parker: 95 Points
The organic Pieropan 2021 Soave Classico La Rocca shows a golden hue with hints of shiny emerald and green. Made with 100% Garganega, it ages in tonneaux for 12 months. The wine is viscous in appearance, gliding within the inside of the glass with thick, slow swirls. The effect is beautiful and full-bodied for sure, with apricot, poached pear, crushed stone and very light saffron or cinnamon. This is just a terrific vintage from a world-class producer. Luckily for us, 48,000 bottles were made.
