The 2014 Soave Classico la Rocca is a beautiful wine that should hold for the best part of the next decade. This is a sophisticated expression from the appellations with apricot, honey, saffron and slightly toasted oak aromas. The wine remains balanced and harmonious throughout, despite the difficulties of this vintage. Soft and luscious fruit flavors add weight and importance to the finish. - Monica Larner

The 10- to 50-year-old vines in Pieropan’s La Rocca vineyard cling to chalky-clay soils on the southwest slope of Mount Rochetta, ripening the garganega grapes into late October for this rich and spicy wine. Brief skin contact lends deep color and lush flavors of lemon curd and baked apple. Fifteen months in oak barrels heightens the sumptuous character, imparting notes of vanilla bean and toasted nuts, yet the wine maintains a tight acidity that pulls the rich flavors in an upward spiral. A few years of cellaring will allow the flavors to knit together.