2001 Soave Classico La Froscà

It’s amazing to think that while most of the Soave Classico producers are only now starting to understand the importance of terroir and a more natural and transparent style of winemaking, the Gini family, under the guidance of Sandro Gini, started on the path over forty years ago. Today, the Gini winery utilizes fully organic and biodynamic practices, with ambient yeasts and a low level of intervention in the cellar. Their twenty-five hectares of hillside vineyards grow in volcanic soils, which vary greatly from location to location. The range includes the classic Cru La Frosca, as well as the Salvarenza, which hails from a small plot of eighty-year-old vines within the larger vineyard. Both wines can mature effortlessly over the course of a decade or more and are always amongst the top expressions of the region. However, the hidden treasure here is the “entry-level" Soave, all from estate vineyards within the Classico region. It represents an amazing value for its level of quality, as well as the ability to mature beautifully through medium-term cellaring. I was not able to taste any new vintages of the Valpolicella and Amarone during my recent visit, but will do so as soon as the wines are ready.