Tenute Loacker Ateyon Chardonnay 2010

Situated above Bolzano in Alto Adige lies Schwarhof, the Loacker family’s biodynamic vineyard. The estate was established in 1978 by Rainer Loacker who for 20 years worked in the chocolate wafer business before making the plunge into the wine business. At that time, most producers employed modern techniques, using pesticides and other chemicals, but Rainer was a lone organic pioneer. Gradually he made the transition to biodynamic farming. Today, Loacker only uses homeopathic treatments on their vines. The vines planted on the high-altitude, south-facing hillside are protected in an unusual way, and benefit from a mild climate. The soil is a mineral-rich combination of sand, clay, limestone, and pebbles from glacial deposits, and has excellent drainage. Franz Josef, Rainer’s son, oversees commercial aspects of the 4 Loacker vineyards (Schwarhof in Alto Adige, 2 others in Tuscany, and 1 in Austria). His brother, Hayo, who trained in France, South Africa, and the US, manages the vines and wine making. The goal of Tenute Loacker is to make the soil healthy, which results in healthy vines and eliminates the need for chemical treatments. Intervention in the cellar is also kept to a minimum; indigenous yeasts are used during fermentation, and tiny amounts of sulfites are added at bottling.