The best wines largely came from the original hillside Soave vineyards, designated Soave Classico to distinguish it from the plain Soave produced in the expanded zone. New rules prohibited the use of trebbiano Toscano (also known as ugni blanc) in Soave Classico and required the wine to be at least 70 percent garganega, with the rest some combination of trebbiano di Soave (also known as verdicchio), chardonnay and an assortment of local grapes. Most of our favorite wines were 100 percent garganega.

The Soaves in our tasting fell into two distinct styles. Some were crisp and straightforward, fermented and aged in steel tanks to emphasize a fresh, fruity liveliness. Others were denser and richer, partly or entirely fermented and aged in oak barrels, which, when done deftly, adds to the texture, depth and complexity of the wine. A few wines split the difference, using steel tanks but aging the wine on the lees, the sediment left after the yeast completes fermentation, which can also add texture and presence to the wine.

For me, the key element was whether the wines had energy, an elusive quality that separates bottles that refresh and inspire further sips from those that land flat and heavy. The more energetic wines seemed clearer and more precise, with focused flavors that include an almondlike nuttiness, minerals, citrus and occasionally a touch of tropical fruit.

Our favorite, the 2012 Monte di Fice Soave Superiore Classico (a supposedly higher classification that essentially confuses matters), came from a new producer I didn’t know, I Stefanini. Yet the wine, made in the steel-tank style but aged on the lees, was superb, pure and tight-grained yet complex. At only $13, this was our best value as well. Sadly, judging by a few random searches, little of this wine is currently available. Nonetheless, I Stefanini will be worth following in the future.

Our other top wines came from producers that are far better known. The 2012 Gini Soave Classico La Frosca, our No. 2 bottle, was weighty yet energetic, an example of the attractive yet nimble density that can be achieved through barrel fermentation and aging. The 2012 Soave Classico from Inama (No. 3) and the 2013 Otto Soave Classico from Prà (No. 4) are both tank wines, fresh, lively and delicious. Our No. 5, on the other hand, the 2011 Monte Alto Soave Classico from Ca’Rugate, was a barrel-aged wine, rich and full-bodied yet vivacious and insistent.

Image No. 3: Inama Soave Classico 2012 Credit... Dan Neville/The New York Times

Ca’Rugate, like many Soave producers, makes wine in both styles, and we happened to have its steel-tank wine in the tasting, too, the 2012 Monte Fiorentine Soave Classico, at No. 7. By contrast, it was more straightforward, fresh and lively. Jeff likened the difference between the two as “one to drink on the beach, the other with a meal.”