Winemaker Notes
Bright straw-yellow color with greenish reflections. The bouquet is pleasingly fruity with impressions of white peach and grapefruit, together with white flowers and minerals, fresh herbs. On the palate it is full, juicy, lively, with a harmonious acidity and white stone fruit flavors. Long and mineral finish.
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Enthusiast
Delicate scents of tropical fruit, cake spice and citrus shape the inviting nose on this stunning white. The delicious, medium-bodied palate delivers juicy peach, grapefruit, nutmeg and wild herb while white almond and flinty mineral notes lend depth. It's vibrant, with bright acidity.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Here's a pretty white that has not been reviewed in a while. The Pacher Hof 2021 Alto Adige Valle Isarco Kerner shows a bright personality with tropical flower, wild sage, crushed stone, tea leaf and green melon. There are distant hints of petrol or smoke that offer a loose indication of where this wine is headed as it continues its bottle evolution. I love its tight impact on the senses.
-
Wine Spectator
There's a fleshy feel to this balanced, light-bodied white, with orange and pink grapefruit flavors that show accents of fresh tarragon and marjoram. Bright acidity keeps this light on its feet, ending with a stony finish.
A cool-climate variety suited to the highlands of Italy’s Alto Adige, where most of it is now grown, Kerner also thrives in the German regions of Pfalz and Rheinhessen, as well as Austria and Slovenia. Kerner can show a variety of floral notes, as well as green apple, apricot, tangerine, tropical fruit and fresh herb.
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.