2018 Suavia Soave Classico Veneto 750 ml

It’s not often that we can say an under $25 wine is redefining its region. But Suavia makes hands-down the most compelling white wines in the Veneto region of northern Italy, rendering native varieties into crisp, fresh, modern expressions that are unsurpassed in the Soave Classico DOC—and come for a shockingly low price. 

This is the rare case when a mind-boggling bottle price seems untethered to quality, and the Tessari sisters of Suavia have notched a new benchmark with their 2018 Soave Classico. Grown on volcanic soils in a sub-Alpine climate, their signature style shows beautifully in enticingly bright aromas of Meyer lemon and green apple, which deepen through the core as the almond-richness and orchard-fruit flavors develop. By the time the finish breaks on a fine mineral edge of oyster shell and flint, this a crystal-clear Suavia standout—one that will leave you licking your lips, and prepared to pay $25+ for the pleasure.

This is like buying costume jewelry only to realize you got actual diamonds set in gold. Now is the time to get this wine at a bargain price, because the world’s taking notice that the sisters are transcending their peers, and that can only mean that Suavia will soon stand apart in price. 

The critics agree that Suavia is up to something special. James Suckling gave the 2018 Suavia 93 points, praising it as "edgy and tense," while Jancis Robinson’s site awarded it 17 (of 20) points, and made the producer one of the focal points of a recent feature article about the Soave renaissance.

We've always had a soft spot for Garganega, the heart-and-soul variety of the Soave appellation, because we've seen exactly what life lived close to the soil can bring out in this grape. An unfortunate history of overcropping, especially in the plains surrounding Soave Classico, has artificially suppressed the pricing of Soave—but that doesn’t change the fact that there are some truly sumptuous wines being made by traditional methods on the hillsides. Thankfully, swift change is at hand, and the Tessari family, operating with integrity and vision since the 1980s, are the ones driving it. 

It may surprise some members that in the past two decades, Soave has been mapped into 33 hillside crus. Suavia straddles four—Fittà, Carbonare, Castellaro, and Tremenalro—in the very heart of the region. These sites feature terraced southerly hills that stretch up to the tops of their sun-drenched ridges. For anyone who's spent time in the world's most celebrated regions, the potential locked within such an exposure is obvious at a glance. It's land that produces what the Tessari sisters call "profoundly Italian" wine, unmistakable in its character but lively enough to wash down a long, lingering al fresco lunch. 

What we're saying is: Don't sleep on Suavia. Through slow and careful farming practices and a heightened consciousness of each site's potential, the Tessari sisters are leading the push to reinvent Soave, bringing a laser focus on what amounts to world-class terroir, and re-establishing the tradition of Soave as a wine of kings and queens. This is your chance to get it at a pauper’s price.