WTN: 2004 Pieropan Soave "La Rocca"

[Jenise]

So Florida Jim has me drooling all the time with his single vineyard Pieropan notes (I'd never even laid eyes on one to consider buying or not), and then a year ago Bob and I had a very good older Soave in a Canadian restaurant and Hoke told me be sure to try a few others. So when Garagiste offered a couple 2004 Pieropan single vineyards for under $20 a few months ago, I hoped I wasn't overdoing it by grabbing six of each.

Just picked them up in Seattle yesterday and opened one to enjoy as a nightcap when we got home. I have to say, I'm not sure I've ever seen Bob so excited about a white wine. I was quite taken with what I could taste too--I was hampered by a stuffed up, allergy-stricken nose--but Bob was having multiple orgasms of the kind any lady would be jealous of. We encountered a heady mix of white flowers, marzipan, raw walnuts, preserved lemon, canned pears, Lemon Pledge, caramel, smoke and star anise and had we been lively enough to have second glasses, which we weren't, I'm sure we'd have found more. Much more. It's just that kind of wine, throwing off all kinds of sparks as it evolves in the glass--a totally fascinating creature of a wine.

Much thanks to Hoke and Jim Cowan for inspiring me to buy and buy big when I had the chance.

Jenise,
Nice to hear you liked it [or at least Bob did ]
I hadn't seen the Garagiste offer but that price is pretty good these days.
Happy holidays, Jim

Skipped buying that one... damn....

Pieropan La Rocca remains my favorite Soave year in and year out and 2004 was an excellent year. And the price was very, very good. The La Rocca costs about Euro 25 in Italy and about £22 in the UK; it is generally about 25% more expensive than the Calvarino, which is the wine one step down on the Pieropan ladder.

Glad you liked it.

Merry Christmas,

Robert

I have a couple of these but haven't tasted it.
From your description Jenise it sounds quite wonderful on its own, but as far as food it sounds like fairly simple sauteed or roasted fish or roasted chicken might give it a chance to shine. Does anyone have suggestions?
Charles

[Jenise]

Skipped buying that one... damn....

I often feel like that reading your notes. But yes, you DID miss out if you didn't buy this one.

[Jenise]

Pieropan La Rocca remains my favorite Soave year in and year out and 2004 was an excellent year. And the price was very, very good. The La Rocca costs about Euro 25 in Italy and about £22 in the UK; it is generally about 25% more expensive than the Calvarino, which is the wine one step down on the Pieropan ladder.

Glad you liked it.

Merry Christmas,

Robert

I've bought and tasted most of the other soaves reccomended to me after my initial Pieropan (regular) epiphany, and though all were enjoyable none had the elegant zip of the Pieropans.

So do you still live in the UK? I think of you often when we pull a Climens--your long ago recco caused me to seek it out, and then eventually your championing the 'lesser', more lemony vs. honeyed vintages made me bold about my own preferences which up to then I had accepted as unschooled.

[Jenise]

I have a couple of these but haven't tasted it.
From your description Jenise it sounds quite wonderful on its own, but as far as food it sounds like fairly simple sauteed or roasted fish or roasted chicken might give it a chance to shine. Does anyone have suggestions?
Charles

Charles, yes, you're on the right track. Keep the food light--chicken, broiled fish, seared scallops, anything cooked in or tossed with browned butter.

Jenise, I'm pleased to be part of the team that tickled Bob's...uhh, umm, tastebuds... to climax, and so pleased you liked Pieropan Soaves.

It's a shame that the original Soaves, grown up in the rugged hills and valley slopes up above the town of Soave, became popular as one of the first 'pop wines' from Italy, thus necessitating huge increases in volume to satisfy demand. The Italians, always ready to respond to such demand, immediately set out to debase the wine by expanding to the flatlands and becoming even more indiscriminate in source and yield levels, until Soave was a byword for tasteless plonk. Now, of course, Pinot Grigio is filling that void.

But the original Soave, the Classico, still had a few stubborn and loyal adherents that were focusing on quality. And Pieropan was definitely one of those. There are others that can be very pleasing. Pra comes to mind right away as an old fave. But Pieropan is probably still the leader for me.

Jenise,

Yes, we still live in the UK although we are seriously considering moving to Florence for a few years (while we still can). We probably spend about six months in Florence as is so it doesn't take much to switch residence.

Regards,

Robert