2022 Inama I Palchi Foscarino Grande Cuvée Soave Classico DOC

Monte Foscarino is an extinct volcano in the Soave Classico hills east of Verona. Its slopes are cut into wide terraces lined with Garganega on pergolas. Those terraces are the palchi on the label. The vines run 30 to 70 years old, rooted in basalt lava and volcanic tuff with seams of iron-red clay. Wind off Lake Garda keeps the berries small and the skins thick.

Giuseppe Inama started buying vineyard plots in Soave in the 1950s. His son Stefano runs the estate now, with the third generation working beside him. Stefano’s rule for great Soave is short: “You mustn’t over-crop, and you must use minimalistic oenology.”

I Palchi is the family’s top Garganega, a selection of the best small plots in those old pergola vineyards. The grapes are picked by hand. Half the juice ferments in large casks, about a third in barriques and the rest in stainless steel. The lees get stirred regularly while the wine rests in wood.

The 2022 comes out full and silky, with ripe stone fruit, citrus peel and a smoky, peppery edge. The acidity stays bright from the first sip to the last.

This is the bottle I’d use to show someone how serious Italian white wine gets. It drinks well tonight with roast chicken or fish in brown butter. It will also hold in the cellar for a few years if you can wait.