Soave Superiore DOCG

Created to reward hillside Soave with lower yields and higher minimum alcohol, but the DOCG never caught on: Pieropan, Inama, Gini and Suavia kept their crus in the Soave Classico DOC, so Superiore is a small category dominated by a few estates and the Cantina di Soave. The wines are fuller than everyday Soave, with ripe pear, yellow apple, almond, chamomile and a flinty, volcanic note, often with some oak and a year of age before release. If you find a good one it drinks like a serious dry white with five years of life in it. The label must say 'Soave Superiore DOCG' to count.