Great Whites From Italy’s Northeast
Peter writes, First of all, we would like to thank Bob Zohn of United Liquors for stopping by to lead the tasting last week. We assembled a line of superlative white wines from Cantina Terlano in Alto Adige and Pieropan in Soave. As one taster said - “not a dud in the bunch”.
August 8, 2018
He continues,
We began with the 2016 Pieropan Soave Classico. For many tasters this was the first real Soave they had tried. The wine is aromatic, clean and balanced. Next we sampled the 2017 Terlan Pinot Bianco. This was a bit rounder and richer with both herbs and honey.
The next four wines were all single vineyard bottlings representing the best these two wineries have to offer. The 2015 Pieropan Soave Calvarino is an elegant wine from a vineyard the family has owned since 1901. This was a great combination of floral, herb and ripe fruit character. Then we all tried what could best be described as a curveball in the tasting. The 2017 Terlan Sauvignon Blanc Winkl had an intensity of aroma and flavor that overwhelmed the previous wine and required a little wait before moving on to the next wine. Some people really loved this and it sold very well.
The 2015 Pieropan Soave La Rocca was next. La Rocca is considered by experts to be the best vineyard in Soave. The wine showed complexity of aroma and flavor, great structure and a very long finish. We finished with the 2014 Terlan Pinot Bianco Vorberg. This was also complex and structured with persistence and intensity. The question for most tasters was which one of these two was their favorite.
Tasters really enjoyed all of these selections and it showed in the number of mixed case orders that included all six wines. James B. put it this way: “awesome tasting”.
White
2016 Pieropan Soave Classico: Fruit notes of elderberry, apple and pear with lemon zest and almonds in the fresh finish. Very Good Plus to Excellent 21; Mixed Case, 18.9; Case, 17.85
2017 Terlan Pinot Bianco: Round supple yellow fruit and pear with notes of honey and pine nuts with a creamy texture. Very Good Plus to Excellent 21; Mixed Case, 18.9; Case, 17.85
2015 Pieropan Soave Calvarino: White spring wildflower with citrus blossom and aromatic herb. Ripe apple and pear with lemon drop. Mineral, elegant and concentrated finish. Excellent 35; Mixed Case, 31.5; Case, 29.75
2017 Terlan Sauvignon Blanc Winkl: Flower, sage and pineapple. Powerful and rich with grapefruit, lime and coriander. Supple creamy finish. Excellent 35; Mixed Case, 31.5; Case, 29.75
2015 Pieropan Soave La Rocca: Ripe stone fruit with hazelnut and tropical fruit notes. Savory and structured finish with ginger and almond notes. . Excellent 43; Mixed Case, 38.7; Case, 36.55
2014 Terlan Pinot Bianco Vorberg Riserva: Green apple and pear with wildflowers rich and textured with chamomile, minerals and almond. Long complex finish. . Excellent 45; Mixed Case, 40.5; Case, 38.25
Great Italian Whites case: Two bottles of each of the above $340
Or mix your own
Any six - 11 bottles of the above for a 10% discount
Any twelve bottles of the above for a 15% discount