2019 Corte Sant'Alda Soave Veneto 750 ml

We’ll admit it: Our standards for Soave are almost impossibly high. 

That’s why we’ve only offered a handful in the history of Wine Access, and why when we find one that clears our bar, we get as excited as we do about any other wine, bar none. Because real Soave, which Jancis Robinson and Hugh Johnson call “incomparable,” stands as some of the most gorgeous terroir-driven white wine in the world—and can deliver that character for a shockingly low price. 

The 2019 Corte Sant’Alda Soave Veneto delivers big time on those two promises. It’s a perfect example of a terroir-driven wine, showing a deep golden core with hints of copper on the rim, with aromas of fresh-cut summer peach, Meyer lemon peel, chamomile that burst from the glass, accented by an array of yellow and white flowers. It’s rich, crisp, and seductive with an uplifting mineral tone driven by crushed rocks and a mouthwatering citrus layer.

The amount of substance, richness, and tension in this wine would have thrilled us at twice the price. Today, at a near-unbelievable deal, it not only qualifies for Wine Access, but to be packed away by the case in our own personal cellars. 

Corte Sant-Alda is located in the heart of the Soave zone, with the jagged Alps in the backdrop. This is where Garganega grapes thrive in the volcanic soils that mark the Soave zone, and that Corte Sant-Alda converted to biodynamic in the mid-1980s—a tough harvest convinced the estate that converting would inspire ripe and healthy grapes. Since then, they’ve grown to be one of the most recognized biodynamic producers in Italy.

One moment gazing over his vineyards, and you can see the invigorating effects in the vineyards teeming with life: in between the rows, lush grass grows, and the scent of mint, arugula, and chamomile. All that freshness, coupled with the ripeness born of clean sunshine and the verve gifted by the cool mountain air, combine for the kind of focused and expressive wine we go absolutely crazy over.

This is one of the very few Soaves to ever made the cut at Wine Access. We’re confident it’ll leave you just as impressed as it did us—and leave you thirsting for another glass (just like us).