PIEROPAN “Calvarino” Soave Classico 2021

(Soave, Veneto, Italy) $35

If I had to name the three best white wines in Italy, Pieropan’s “Calvarino” would be one of them. The first single-vineyard white wine in Italy (designated as such more than 50 years ago), it’s a wine of ravishing purity. Freshness vibrates through the wine with such exquisite vitality, it stops you in your tracks. “Calvarino” is made mostly from indigenous Garganega grapes grown on volcanic hillsides. And importantly, it’s made entirely in cement tanks so it’s exposed to very little oxygen. The result is a wine with bracing minerality, exotic floral notes, and a sense of elegance that’s enrapturing. Do not miss this! (Note: Pieropan’s “regular” Soave Classico 2022 is just coming on the market. Not quite as ethereal as “Calvarino,” but delicious and a total steal at $20.)

97 points KM

Available at Vivino.com