Winemaker Notes
Blend: 100% Pinot Bianco
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Restrained apricot peel, fairly neutral yet classy, but with a floral bouquet that opens up. The attack is full and impressively vibrant, almost electric, with filigreed elegance and a silky, weighted palate. Long and polished. This is incredible.
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Wine Enthusiast
Vorberg is one of the world's great Pinot Bianco (Pinot Blancs) and opens with a fragrant aroma of ripe pear, green apple, and hints of almond. On the palate, it is vibrant with an interplay of citrus and stone fruit, carried by a refreshing acidity. The wine culminates in a textured finish that spans across cuisines. Drink now–2040.
Cellar Selection -
Vinous
The 2021 Pinot Bianco Riserva Vorberg is youthfully coiled, as an airy blend of wild herbs and dried flowers gives way to young peach and apricot. This is seamlessly silky and serene on the palate, nearly oily in feel, with brisk acidity to balance and depths of ripe orchard fruits and mineral tones that saturate. The balance is perfect, lightly tannic and full of tension with a lemony concentration that puckers the cheeks as minty herbal tones fade. Green apple notes add a crunchy sensation toward the close. This fantastic rendition of Vorberg will thrive in a cold cellar.
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Wine Spectator
An elegant, fine-knit white, with density to the layers of yellow plum, melon rind, chamomile and lemon wax flavors. Offering a lightly chalky texture and mouthwatering acidity, this is long and supple, with grapefruit zest, milled pink peppercorn and mineral hints on the finish. Drink now through 2031.
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.
Approachable, aromatic and pleasantly plush on the palate, Pinot Blanc is a white grape variety most associated with the Alsace region of France. Although its heritage is Burgundian, today it is rarely found there and instead thrives throughout central Europe, namely Germany and Austria, where it is known as Weissburgunder and Alto Adige where it is called Pinot Bianco. Interestingly, Pinot Blanc was born out of a mutation of the pink-skinned Pinot Gris. Somm Secret—Chardonnay fans looking to try something new would benefit from giving Pinot Blanc a try.
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.