Winemaker Notes
This wine is well suited for summer fish dishes, such as swordfish in cucumber-dill sauces or mahi-mahi steaks with mango chutneys.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Very impressive floras. This has the intensity that really captivates. The palate that is bathed in rosewater and lychee flavors. Soft and pliable phenolics, as well as really superb freshness here. Drink now.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Closed with a glass cork, the 2016 Alto Adige Gewürztraminer Nussbaumer is floral and fragrant with abundant layers of white rose, honeysuckle and orange blossom. If you love this variety, you are going to appreciate the clean lines and snappy style evidenced by this wine from the far north of Italy. Spicy notes of nutmeg and clove appear as distant accents on the close. The 15% alcohol fuels a long finish. The Tramin subzone of the appellation is home to some of the best Gewürztraminer in Alto Adige. Some 70,000 bottles were made.
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Decanter
Delicate rose, peach and light incense nose. The palate is quite spicy and has vigour, freshness and long length. An altogether elegant and varietally typical expression.
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Wine & Spirits
Scents of rosewater and lavender lead into rich tropical-fruit flavors accented in notes of honey, ginger and candied orange peel. A touch of slate cools some of the wine’s warmth, but this is an intense wine to match with equally intense spicy dishes.
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Wine Spectator
Dry and creamy, this Gewürztraminer is light-footed and fresh, offering textbook notes of rose, pink grapefruit, lychee, cream and ginger. Features an aromatic profile that lingers on the minerally finish. Drink now through 2023.
Gewürztraminer, an expressive and aromatically distinctive white grape variety, is considered a noble variety in the Alsace region of France, and produces wonderful wines in the mountainous Alto Adige region of NE Italy. Generally this grape grows well in cooler regions and its natural intensity makes it a great ally for flavorful cuisine such as Indian, Middle Eastern or Moroccan. Somm Secret—Because of a charming perfume and tendency towards slight sweetness, Gewürztraminer makes for an excellent gateway wine for those who love sweet wines but want to venture into the realm of drier whites.
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.