Lechthaler Pinot Noir 2013
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A symbol of the heavy Austrian influence on winemaking in the region, the Lechthaler name had been making local varietal wines since 1905. One of the first producers in the area to sell its wines in bottles instead of 20-30 liter barrels, Lechthaler’s innovative production philosophy was a draw for the Togn family. The two families enjoyed a great synergy, working together for years before the Togn family acquired the brand from the Lechthaler family in the mid-1980s. To this day, Lechthaler is a highly representative line that produces historically cultivated varietals such as Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir and Teroldego at a high quality level.
After over three decades of dedicated service, Luigi Togn continues to lead his brands today, assisted by his daughters: Romina, who is responsible for marketing; Valentina, who deals with production and Martina, who handles the administration. Goffredo Pasolli, his son-in-law, has also joined the family business as head enological technician.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
The southern part of Italy’s northeastern Alpine region, Trentino, produces quality wines from international varieties. But its most exceptional native variety, Teroldego, with plantings concentrated around the sandy, gravelly, limestone soils of its Campo Rotaliano district, makes a deep purple-hued red wine with scents and flavors of wild blackberry, herbs, espresso and cocoa.