Castel Sallegg Lagrein 2018
An attractive mélange of earthiness and floral tones—rose petals and lilac bush layered on top of briary red berries, mulberries, plum, sandalwood, toasty oak, and spice. In the mouth, it’s rounder and more concentrated than some cool-climate examples of the variety I’ve sampled. The profile on the palate echoes the nose with sweet red and […]
Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio Villalta 2017
From fruit grown in high altitude vineyards in Trentino-Alto Adige, Veneto, and Friuli-Venezia Giulia the 2017 Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio is a solid performer for its price point. Straw-hued, its aromas are a refreshing mix of Bosc pear, white peach, lemon drop, and pineapple skin. On the palate, there’s appealing texture on the fore and […]
Altemasi Trento Brut NV
A genial sparkling chardonnay from the Trentodoc, the Altemasi Méthodo Classico Brut has an aromatic profile yellow apples and pears, white flowers, and lemon curd. It’s crisp on the palate, with brisk, cascading bubbles and linear acidity. Lemon pith and wet shell at the close. 12.5% ABV | Sample Altemasi 88 Points
Peter Zemmer Rollhütt Pinot Noir 2017
Worth every penny, Peter Zemmer’s Northern Italian Pinot Noir is intensely perfumed, with lilting aromas of dried rose petals, cola, homemade strawberry jam, raspberry, and underbrush. The aromatic profile perfectly matches the nose—it’s elegant, buoyant, and reigned in, with a finish etched in floral undertones and limestone minerality. 13.0% ABV | Sample Peter Zemmer 9o […]
Abbazia di Novacella Stiftskellerei Neustift Pinot Grigio 2016
Fuller in body than is typical for an Alto-Adige Pinot Grigio, the 2016 Abbazia di Novacella Stiftskellerei Neustift is and endowed with aromas of peach kernel, peach pit, stone fruit, lemon drop, and white flowers, and maybe a daub of honeysuckle. It’s round in the mouth, but high lemon-pith charged acidity gives it lift, a […]
Cantina Tramin Pinot Bianco Moriz Alto Adige 2015
A steadily evolving kaleidoscope of white flowers, lemon curd, Asian pear, green apple, and mint. On the palate, the 2015 Tramin Pinot Bianco Moriz is light, bright, and fresh with a burst of pink pomelo, and perhaps most surprising—dried rose petal and wet shell that tumbles onto the scene like an unexpected last act. It […]
Colterenzio Schreckbichl Gewürztraminer 2016
From Northern Italy’s Südtirol – Alto Adige region, the 2016 Schreckbichl Colterenzio Gewürztraminer is lemon yellow in the glass and bursting a heady floral mix of chamomile and lily of the valley—beneath this fruit notes of lychee and cherimoya. On the palate, taut acidity crescendoes through this white’s pretty textural landscape that gives way to Meyer […]
Peter Zemmer Pinot Grigio Alto Adige 2016
Straw yellow in the glass, Peter Zemmer’s 2016 Pinot Grigio from the verdant storybook commune of Cortina, in the Südtirol/Alto Adige region of South Tyrol. A semi-alpine microclimate lends lightness and lift. Aromas of emerging spring flowers, fresh herbs, soft alpine breezes, white peach, and pear waft from the glass. Blithe acidity wends through the […]
Producer Profile: The Expressive Wines of Erste+Neue
Located in Caldaro, a storybook village on Alto Adige’s breathtaking wine road, the Erste+Neue cooperative winery was established in 1986 following the merger of the Erste Kellerei (founded in 1900) and the Neue Kellerei (founded in 1925). Translated, the name First + New reflects the winery’s nod to tradition while embracing experimentation and an openness […]
Erste+Neue Lagrein 2016
From vines trained on pergolas, an overhead trellis system introduced by the ancient Romans, Erste+Neue’s 2016 Lagrein offers up a sumptuous bouquet of fleshy plums and ripe black cherries followed by spice, crushed lavender, and a daub of earth. It’s softly textured on entry, with plush black fruit framed against a backdrop of velvety tannins. […]