Winemaker Notes
Light golden yellow with clearly green reflections. Ripe peaches, dried apricots, orange peel, ginger, and elder blossoms. Juicy and powerful, with soft fruit sweetness in the finish.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This gorgeous white opens with aromas of smoke, ripe yellow stone fruit, alpine herb and a hint of spice. Full-bodied and elegant, the dry, delicious palate has a great depth of flavor, including apricot, yellow pear, white pepper and flinty mineral. Crisp acidity restrains the rich flavors.
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James Suckling
If you ever wondered about the kerner grape (an import from Germany to Alto Adige), the nose of this wine is about as typical as it gets. Green yet ripe through and through is the best description I can find. However, this wine also shows how wines of this grape can tend towards the heavy side in this climate. There’s just enough acidity to keep this on track.
There are hundreds of white grape varieties grown throughout the world. Some are indigenous specialties capable of producing excellent single varietal wines. Each has its own distinct viticultural characteristics, as well as aroma and flavor profiles.
A mountainous northern Italian region heavily influenced by German culture, Trentino-Alto Adige is actually made up of two separate but similar regions: Alto Adige and Trentino.
Trentino, the southern half, is primarily Italian-speaking and largely responsible for the production of non-native, international grapes. There is a significant quantity of Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and Merlot produced. But Trentino's native and most unique red variety, Teroldego, while still rare, is gaining popularity. It produces a deeply colored red wine rich in wild blackberry, herb, coffee and cocoa.
The rugged terrain of German-speaking Alto Adige (also referred to as Südtirol) focuses on small-scale viticulture, with great value placed on local varieties—though international varieties have been widely planted since the 1800s. Sheltered by the Alps from harsh northerly winds, many of the best vineyards are at extreme altitude but on steep slopes to increase sunlight exposure.
Dominant red varieties include the bold, herbaceous Lagrein and delicate, strawberry-kissed, Schiava, in addition to some Pinot Nero.
The primary white grapes are Pinot grigio, Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay and Pinot blanc, as well as smaller plantings of Sauvignon blanc, Müller Thurgau. These tend to be bright and refreshing with crisp acidity and just the right amount of texture. Some of the highest quality Pinot grigio in Italy is made here.