Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Elena Walch 2019 Alto Adige Pinot Nero Ludwig (with 10,000 bottles on the market) shows dark aromas of purple fruit and blackcurrant with tar, licorice and smoke. This expression of Blauburgunder, as the grape is identified in German on the back label, focuses on the more concentrated and rich side of the spectrum.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2021 Elena Walsh Ludwig Pinot Noir Nero is well-defined and bright on the palate. TASTING NOTES: This wine shines with aromas and flavors zippy red fruits, and lasting minerality. Try it with lightly-grilled wild-caught salmon. (Tasted: May 11, 2023, San Francisco, CA)
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James Suckling
A rather spicy and dark-fruited pinot with dried cherries, blackberries, bay leaves, grilled herbs and some smoke on the nose. Medium body with ripe tannins and a compact core of dark fruit and spice.
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Wine Enthusiast
This vibrant Pinot Noir opens with aromas of wild, tart mixed berries, clove and star anise. Savory herbs and forest floor lift out of the glass as the wine opens. Juicy and fruit forward on the palate, the wine is balanced by acidity and dark earth notes.
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.”
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.