Arzane – Red Wine – 2017

Pasini's first Cru Arzane from old Groppello vines

Arzane bears the name of the single vineyard in Picedo di Polpenazze, from which Pasini San Giovanni has been producing its first Cru since 1996, an organic red wine made from old Groppello vines. The 2017 vintage was aged in barriques and has a bouquet of cherries preserved in alcohol and spices.

Arzane is the single-vineyard wine from Pasini San Giovanni, a red wine from the Valtènesi, bottled under the Riviera del Garda Classico DOC. Its grapes, exclusively Groppello, come from a single site in Picedo di Polpenazze. The location sits at an altitude of 191 meters, a few kilometers south of the winery in Raffa. The 2017 vintage comes from organically farmed vineyards and has 13.0 percent alcohol.

Cherries preserved in alcohol and fine spices

Arzane has a bouquet of cherries preserved in alcohol and spices, and its taste is fine and persistent, elegant and harmonious.

Pasini San Giovanni describes this wine, which has been in the program as a vanguard Valtènesi red wine since 1996, as vertical and juicy. The spices linger in the finish, and the cherry fruit appears ripe and deep.

Arzane grows with time, according to the winery. The large A on its label stands for a small alphabet of three wines that rely on time: Arzane, Busocaldo, and Lettera C. The 2017 vintage has had that time and shows how Arzane develops.

The Arzane single vineyard in Picedo

The vines for the Arzane grow in the single vineyard of the same name in Picedo di Polpenazze, which was planted in the early nineties with the best Groppello clones. In total, the winery farms around 12 hectares in Picedo, where, in addition to Groppello, other local varieties and two hectares of Riesling are grown.

Pasini speaks of old vines from various genotypes of the local variety, which are selected and grown together in this location. Thus, the diversity of a single grape variety comes together in one bottle.

In the cellar, it is fermented as a red wine, aged first in steel and then in oak barriques before being bottled. The wine guide Gambero Rosso awarded the 2017 vintage 2 Bicchieri Rossi in 2023, and the Lombardy wine guide Viniplus gave it 4 Rose. In the same year, the Winehunter Award Rosso was added, making this vintage triple-awarded.

With Sunday roast and aged cheese

The winery recommends Arzane with roasts, red meat, and spicy cheese, and its spicy notes find an echo in a rich sauce.

A roast beef with dark gravy or a leg of lamb with rosemary get a companion of equal depth. Finally, it goes well with a piece of long-aged mountain cheese, the spiciness of which picks up the spices in the wine. The winery suggests a serving temperature of 18 degrees for it.

The Groppello shows itself younger and slightly chilled in the Frontecasa Valtènesi, along with Marzemino, Barbera, and Sangiovese in the Cap del Priù. All red wines can be found under Red Wine, and at Pasini San Giovanni you will find other wines from the Valtènesi and the southern shore of the lake.

Arzane 2017 – a red wine and its values

• Origin Italy, Lake Garda
• Growing region Valtènesi, Riviera del Garda Classico DOC
• Winery Pasini San Giovanni
• Grape variety Groppello
• 13.0% vol alcohol

Organic inspection body IT-BIO-015 – Italian Agriculture