Balestri Valda
Vigneto Sengialta Soave Classico Garganega Trebbiano
Soave, Verona, Veneto, Italy
This Soave Classico Vigneto Sengialta Balestri Valda 2017 comes from a single hillside parcel of black basaltic soil planted to Garganega and Trebbiano di Soave. The grapes are hand-harvested, fermented separately, and matured in neutral 2000-liter botti for twelve months. In the glass, the wine has a saturated, deep yellow-gold color, with flashes of green-gold just at the edge. Aromas of sun-warmed yellow peaches, crystallized honey, marzipan, and acacia blossoms emerge at first, then alternate with fleeting suggestions of beeswax, grated nutmeg, and sage, as the nose evolves in the glass. On the palate, the wine honeyed and opulent, with a round, juicy core of sweet stone fruit and honey that echoes the nose, along with plenty of dry extract, deep saline minerality, and ripe tartaric acidity. The layered sweet core of honeyed melon and almond paste is seasoned with delicate bitterness, and the long elegant finish is punctuated with fine mineral grip. Drink now – 2030 (yes, the wine is irresistible today, but according to Laura Rizzotto, a bottle that hid unnoticed for fifteen or more years in a good cellar would be a treasure). — Moore Brothers, Brooklyn
This Soave Classico Vigneto Sengialta Balestri Valda 2017 comes from a single hillside parcel of black basaltic soil planted to Garganega and Trebbiano di Soave. The grapes are hand-harvested, fermented separately, and matured in neutral 2000-liter botti for twelve months. In the glass, the wine has a saturated, deep yellow-gold color, with flashes of green-gold just at the edge. Aromas of sun-warmed yellow peaches, crystallized honey, marzipan, and acacia blossoms emerge at first, then alternate with fleeting suggestions of beeswax, grated nutmeg, and sage, as the nose evolves in the glass. On the palate, the wine honeyed and opulent, with a round, juicy core of sweet stone fruit and honey that echoes the nose, along with plenty of dry extract, deep saline minerality, and ripe tartaric acidity. The layered sweet core of honeyed melon and almond paste is seasoned with delicate bitterness, and the long elegant finish is punctuated with fine mineral grip. Drink now – 2030 (yes, the wine is irresistible today, but according to Laura Rizzotto, a bottle that hid unnoticed for fifteen or more years in a good cellar would be a treasure). — Moore Brothers, Brooklyn
Oct 18th, 2020