Smoky style with stony minerality, almost under-ripe apricots, green bananas and some lime peel. Light to medium body and crisp acidity carrying very lemony flavors. Good, polished finish. Drink now.
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The walled city of Soave in the Veneto region is the source (and namesake) of one of the great classic Italian white wines. The town dates from Roman times, and so does the winemaking tradition. The Romans were big fans of minerally, floral wines like those of Soave. The Garganega grapes, that for many centuries have produced Soave wines, come mainly from vineyards in the hills that rise behind the town and march northwestward toward the eastern Valpolicella. This area is now known as Soave Classico and is still the source of the best wines of the denomination due to the hills’ volcanic soils.
Leaving Soave through the Porta Aquila—the north gate of the city’s 14th-century walls—a walk of a mile and a quarter (including a climb of about 500 feet) leads to the top of Mount Foscarino, a dormant volcano now covered with grapevines. In the 1960s, Giuseppe Inama began buying up small vineyard plots on this peak in the heart of the Soave Classico zone, and as a result, the Inama winery today owns most of the vineyards on Mount Foscarino. Giuseppe Inama saw the great potential of these old, traditional vineyards at a time when others were more intent on producing larger quantities in the plains for inexpensive exports. His son Stefano, who took over the winemaking duties in 1992, has continued to work tirelessly to realize the potential of these vineyards, working with some of the very best vineyard management consultants in the world to get Inama’s vineyards into the best possible shape.
Near the top of the hill is a large wooden platform with a 270-degree panoramic view to the south and east. To the right at a distance, it is easy to spot the crenellated walls and towers of Soave Castle as it keeps watch over the town. In the foreground are Inama’s tidy vigneti di Foscarino (Foscarino vineyards). And to the left, over the vineyards and across a broad valley, are a set of hills that are the home of Inama’s other project. These hills—the Colli Berici—are composed of iron-rich terra rossa, a soil type that is prized worldwide as being ideal for growing red winegrapes, and indeed this is where Inama gets its red wines.
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LOCATIONWINERY: San Bonifacio, Veneto VINEYARD: Soave (Verona province) and Colli Berici (Vicenza province), Veneto VIEW IN GOOGLE MAPS REGION DETAILS |
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94
DECEMBER 2025
Inama "Carbonare" Soave DOC Classico 2023
![]() Smoky style with stony minerality, almost under-ripe apricots, green bananas and some lime peel. Light to medium body and crisp acidity carrying very lemony flavors. Good, polished finish. Drink now. 94
OCTOBER 2023
Inama "Carbonare" Soave DOC Classico 2021
![]() Grown via the historic pergola method this unique vineyard produces a Soave with aromas of fleshy yellow peach, jasmine, white tea and crushed stones. The palate is structured and built to age with flavors of tart green apple, citrus and a mineral edge on the finish. Drink now-2035. 96
SEPTEMBER 2025
Inama "I Palchi" Foscarino Soave Classico DOC 2023
![]() The 2023 Soave Classico I Palchi is delicate in the glass, mixing white smoke with wet stones, minty herbs and peach. It is beautifully balanced, with a sensation of liquid stone and an air of sweet sage swirling above a core of crisp orchard fruits and mineral tones. Complex and long, the 2023 resonates with tension, leaving a saline concentration and hints of lemon oil and flint to linger impossibly long. This wine is spellbinding yet still a year away from release. Don't miss it. 96
DECEMBER 2025
Inama "I Palchi" Foscarino Soave Classico DOC 2022
![]() A complex, mineral wine with apricots and lemon peel, angelica and mangoes. Full-bodied and richly flavored with mango and citrus flavors, vibrant and mineral acidity and a smooth finish. Precise and refreshing. Fermented and aged in large oak barrels. Drink or hold. 94
DECEMBER 2025
Inama “Foscarino” Soave DOC Classico 2023
![]() Smoky wine with sea weed, angelica and a riper, more exotic core of lemon leaves and mirabelles. Smooth, silky texture, light body and integrated, refreshing acidity with a hint of sulphur smoke in the finish. Drink now. 94
AUGUST 2025
Inama “Oratorio di San Lorenzo” Colli Berici DOC Carmenère Riserva 2020
![]() The Inama family is shining a spotlight on the Carménère grape as their top crop in this special microclimate of the Veneto nestled between lakes and mountains. In a heavy glass bottle, the 2020 Colli Berici Carmenere Riserva Oratorio di San Lorenzo is a thickly concentrated and extracted wine with deep layers of inky blackberry and blackcurrant. The wine has a chalky quality to the tannins and plenty of fruit richness to fuel a long, luscious finish. The finish is balanced with a touch of pleasant sweetness. 95
APRIL 2024
Inama “Foscarino” Soave DOC Classico 2022
![]() This is very intense with electric acidity. Dried apples, lemons and minerals with a salty undertone. Full-bodied with phenolic tension and an extremely long finish. Hints of oyster. Needs two or three years to show its greatness, but fantastic already. 94
OCTOBER 2024
Inama “Bradisismo” Colli Berici Cabernet DOC 2021
![]() As the wine develops in the glass it is like a vortex of red, blue and black fruits so pure you feel that you are picking them. Savory and sweet spices awake the senses as subtle black tea notes waft by. Elegant tannins that guide the plum and cherry flavors across the palate will cause involuntary smiles, while notes of tobacco, graphite and turned earth increase the depth of the wine. Drink Now - 2035 |
