Corte Mainente, Netrroir, Soave, 2020

Creamy nose with a soft vanilla sweetness. Candied lemon peel, richness, baked pears. Substantial weight but beneath the weight, silk-fabric substance lies in breadth and depth. 

The wine carries itself with magnificent bearing, a tall spine of minerality, punching way, way above its price point. Clearly an exciting winegrower, and one to watch, avidly. At this price point, for anyone who loves Soave or serious, age-worthy white wines. 

A selection of young winegrower Davide Mainente's best grapes across all his sites, which is why it's labelled Soave rather than Soave Classico. From grapes picked late for full maturity (hence higher alcohol). Left on fine lees for a year, 50% is aged in old barrels.

Soave, based on the Garganega grape grown in vineyards east of Verona, is hugely under-rated here. It's one of those wines (like Muscadet) that the supermarket buyers murdered twenty years ago, pushing the co-ops to produce so much volume from the pergola-trained (and irrigated) vines that the end result became mean and watery, albeit cheap. 

Country: Italy 

Region: Veneto

Vintage: 2020

Grape Variety: Garganega 

ABV: 14.5%

Size: 750ml 

Producer: Corte Mainente