In the glass
Aroma: golden apple, hazelnut, almond, white peach, honey, tufa mineral, toasted oak
Palate: almond paste, golden apple, hazelnut, cream, saline mineral, vanilla
La Rocca is 100% Garganega from the volcanic tufa hillside above Soave castle, barrel-fermented and aged; arguably Italy's most cellar-worthy white wine, developing hazelnut-honey complexity over 10-plus years while retaining the grape's almond-mineral core.
What it pairs with
-
Risotto al tartufo bianco
White truffle's intense mineral-honey character finds a perfect complement in La Rocca's hazelnut-cream register. -
Lobster with butter and tarragon
Rich crustacean fat and the wine's golden apple-hazelnut weight are a classic luxury pairing. -
Veal carpaccio with aged Monte Veronese
The wine's oak weight and almond mineral backbone bridge the delicate veal and hard cheese.
History
La Rocca was the first barrel-aged Soave, introducing French oak to the appellation in 1978. Named for the volcanic tufa hillside below Soave castle, the single-vineyard Garganega plot produces a wine of exceptional density and ageing capacity, demonstrating that Garganega on volcanic soil is one of Italy's greatest white wine grapes.
- 1978 — First La Rocca single-vineyard barrel-fermented Soave, pioneering oak in the appellation
Facts
- Producer
- Pieropan
- Grapes
- Garganega (100%)
- Classification
- Soave Classico DOC
- Oak
- Fermented and aged 8 months in small French oak barriques; first introduced barriques to Soave
- ABV
- 13.5%
- Price
- €40-60 at retail
- Drinking window
- 5-15 from vintage
- First vintage
- 1978