Roccolo Grassi 2022 Soave ‘La Broia’ Veneto

A lively and textured white from Soave in the Veneto of northeast Italy. Their Soave vineyard sits directly outside the winery on limestone and alluvial soils and is treated like Cru Burgundy with fermentation in oak and aging on the fine sediment. This is refined and restrained Soave, with aromas of white peaches and toasted almonds. Roccolo Grassi is one of the real gems of Veneto. After years of pouring their wines in restaurants, I finally visited in 2023 in a spur of the moment appointment. Marco and Francesca kindly took me through the operation established by their father Bruno Sartori in 1996. The winery is named after a prized vineyard in Valpolicella located in the Lessini hills of eastern Valpolicella. They are a small house that makes refined wines of character from organically grown grapes.

• WINEMAKER: Marco and Francesca Sartori
• VARIETAL: Garganega
• APPELLATION: Soave
• REGION: Veneto
• VINEYARD: organic
• WINERY: fermented in barrique + botti, aged 1yr on fine sediment
• ABV: 12.5
• SERVE: serve cool