Winemaker Notes
The Pinot Bianco ‘Kristallberg’ is a mineral-rich wine. It has a bright, fresh straw yellow color and a fruity aroma with fresh pears and white stone fruits. It also has spicy notes with green walnuts and smoky and mineral aromas in the background. This wine is elegant on the palate, but also has a juicy freshness, youthful vitality, and stirring acidity. This partially barrel-fermented wine is an exciting new addition!
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
An ambitious wine that shines with an intense mix of blood-orange and white-peach aromas with a flowery touch. Medium-bodied. On the palate, it shows vibrancy and weight with a long, savory and toasted finish.
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Wine Spectator
This creamy white shows tension and freshness, revealing flavors of quince paste, passion fruit, green almond and pickled ginger as they expand on the palate and through the minerally finish.
Elena Walch is a leading Alto Adige wine estate, in family hands, and belongs to the elite in Italian wine production, with international success. Encouraging quality and innovation, Elena Walch stood at the head of the Alto Adige quality revolution and has gained local and international esteem for her efforts.
The philosophy of the estate is dedicated to its terroir – the idea that wines must be the individual expression of their soil, climate and cultivation in the vineyard – and that this must be maintained according to principles of sustainability and passed on to the next generation.
The picturesque single estates of Castel Ringberg and Kastelaz are the heart of Elena Walch's vineyards, now working on a vineyard surface of 55ha. With sustainability being one of the core values at Elena Walch, the wines reflect the various terroirs they originate from. Finally, with the aim of making only the highest quality wines, Elena Walch has been honored with several national as well as international awards.
Approachable, aromatic and pleasantly plush on the palate, Pinot Blanc is a white grape variety most associated with the Alsace region of France. Although its heritage is Burgundian, today it is rarely found there and instead thrives throughout central Europe, namely Germany and Austria, where it is known as Weissburgunder and Alto Adige where it is called Pinot Bianco. Interestingly, Pinot Blanc was born out of a mutation of the pink-skinned Pinot Gris. Somm Secret—Chardonnay fans looking to try something new would benefit from giving Pinot Blanc a try.
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.