Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
A lifted profile with lush red and black cherries, leather and earthy strawberries but a very supple palate. Medium-bodied, it has long, crisp and biting acidity with ripe tannins. Just a bit youthful. Drinkable now but best from the end of 2025.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The St. Michael-Eppan 2022 Alto Adige Pinot Noir Riserva Sanct Valentin reveals a medium-lean mouthfeel with tart berry, cassis and forest floor. The wine is bright and pretty, allowing for floral tones and light spice to emerge as delicate background notes. This wine falls squarely into the red fruits spectrum, with freshness to boot. It ages in barrique and tonneaux for 10 months, followed by a 10-month resting period in cement.
-
Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
The 2022 St. Michel-Eppan SANCT VALENTIN PINOT NOIR Riserva shows a shy red, garnet hue; releases a profusion of wild strawberries in the aromas; medium bodied, sturdy and upright on the palate; delicate yet persistent red fruit flavors glide across; finishes with a pleasing, lifted elegance—beautifully paired with a refined northern Italian plate of canederli allo speck (Tyrolean bread dumplings with speck), where the wine’s freshness and poise cut through the savory richness while echoing the alpine delicacy of the dish. (Tasted: April 6, 2026, San Francisco, CA, USA)
-
Wine Spectator
An elegant red, with light, supple tannins and briary herb and woodsy spice aromatics layered with creamed cherry and pureed raspberry fruit. Plays nicely between its savory and fruit character, ending with a burst of mineral and toast 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.”
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