Winemaker Notes
Perfect with pink roasted saddle of venison in a walnut crust with root vegetables and red cabbage, rib of beef braised in Lagrein with mixed polenta and baby vegetables, or braised calf’s cheek with Lagrein sauce on celeriac foam.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Wow. This is really intense on the nose with lots of dark and ripe fruits as well as Indian tea leaves and bark. Full body, velvety tannins and a long and flavorful finish. Shows balance and refinement.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
If you are unfamiliar with the Lagrein grape, the 2013 Alto Adige Lagrein Riserva Porphyr offers one of the most sophisticated and complete renditions of this Northern Italian indigenous variety. The bouquet is anything but predictable. In fact, it offers an unexpected touch of rusticity with red beets, wet earth and tobacco followed by an abundance of dark fruit and ripe blackberry. Ultimately, the wine's main theme is texture. The mouthfeel is dense, soft and luscious.
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Wine & Spirits
Pulled from vines that are nearly 100 years old, this is dense and concentrated, its bright berry flavors humming through the vanilla and spice notes it picked up from 18 months in barriques (one-third new). Left open for a couple of days, the wine develops savory notes of wood smoke, brushy herbs and root vegetables that add complexity. Drink it now for the freshness of fruit, or lay it down for a few years to let the wood flavors mellow.
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Wine Enthusiast
This 100% Lagrein boasts alluring aromas of blackberry, tilled earth and a whiff of baking spice. The ripe luscious palate doles out black plum, cassis, star anise and a note of ground pepper alongside supple tannins. It will offer fine sipping over the next few years. Drink through 2020.
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Wine Spectator
This sleek red is framed by sculpted tannins and layered with flavors of blackberry pâte de fruit, dried thyme, mesquite smoke and floral and spice accents. Bright and chewy on the finish. Best from 2018 through 2023.
Located in the Dolomite Mountains in the foothills of the Alps, Terlano's distinctive location and extraordinary terroir are key to the development of their stunning, world-renowned wines. Situated in a sheltered hollow, Terlano benefits from an ideal south-facing exposure. Vineyard slopes ranging from 250m-900m ASL provide perfect conditions for the cultivation of grapes, especially Lagrein, a variety that is indigenous to the Alto Adige region. In the vineyard, red porphyry rocks with high mineral content retain the day's warmth, while the porous soil creates an environment with just enough moisture for the roots to extend deeper into this mineral-rich soil. In combination with cool evening temperatures, these factors create wines of incredible depth and potential for aging.
Founded in 1893, Cantina Terlano has grown into one of the leading wine growers' cooperatives in the Alto Adige region of northeastern Italy. With a current membership of 143 growers farming a total area of 165 hectares, Terlano ensures the highest standards of quality by compensating growers for the quality of their grapes not the quantity. The emphasis in the vineyard is on reducing yield in favor of producing more concentrated fruit.
Terlano produces 70 percent white wines and 30 percent red wines, all of them of DOC quality designation. Following a winery renovation in 2009, the cellars now include a total of 18,000m of storage space, which ensures that the wines can develop undisturbed. On the outside, the building has a natural exterior of red porphyry, the stone that gives the wines in the area their typical character. The roof of the winery is planted with vines so that the building blends in completely with the surrounding countryside.
Terlano wines are classified in four distinct quality lines: Tradition, Selection, Rarity and Primo. Terlano wines are famous for their incredible depth and complexity and their stellar reputation continues to make these wines highly sought after both at home and internationally.
Incredibly concentrated and uncommonly sturdy in character, Lagrein has roots in the Alto Adige area and has recently experienced a great renaissance in popularity. While the climate is cool there, the sun is intense on the region’s steep slopes. Warm hillsides near the bustling city of Bolzano create the perfect environment for the production of intense reds from Lagrein. Somm Secret— Lagrein Kretzer (German) or Rosato (Italian) is the spicy rosé version, which is delicious with smoked fish and white meat.
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.