Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Hyacinth, blueberries and fruit tea come to the fore. The medium-bodied palate is carefully crafted and swathed by acidity and steely tannins that encase bright notes of red and blue fruit. Drink now.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Manincor 2017 Alto Adige Pinot Nero Mason is a generous and fragrant expression of the versatile Burgundian grape. It shows the sharp focus and pinpoint aromatic precision of high-altitude mountain winemaking. Wild berry, Japanese plum, cassis and fresh lavender sprig stand tall at attention. Those aromas are enhanced by fragrant tones of rosemary and fresh oregano. Ironically, I had commented that the cooler 2016 vintage tasted overripe when I reviewed that wine last year, but this hot 2017 vintage of 16,000 bottles is just right, especially for a plate of roasted game hen. There is a touch of savory or exotic spice on the close. Fruit for this wine is drawn from a site that has benefited from biodynamic and organic farming since 2005.
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.”
Wine by Region › Italy › Trentino-Alto Adige › Alto Adige
Taking full advantage of direct sunlight exposure on its steep slopes, many of Alto Adige’s best vineyards are planted at extreme altitude... read more