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Südtirol 2018
Südtirol
Tasted September 28, 2018 - September 30, 2018 by jonathanknowles with 275 views
Introduction
A spontaneous trip to Südtirol to visit some of our favourite producers
Flight 1 - Kellerei Terlan (12 notes)
Also known as Cantina Terlano. One of the best cooperatives in Südtirol. Long lived and exciting wines at the top end.
White
2017 Cantina Terlan Weissburgunder
85 points
Tasted on site at Kellerei Terlan. Pear, stoney and smokey nose. Medium body, good acid and a clean finish.
White
2017 Cantina Terlan Chardonnay Tradition
86 points
Tasted on site at Kellerei Terlan. Pear, peach, restrained. Medium body, slightly round but with enough acid. Riper and richer than the Weiß and Grauburgunders. Good.
Red
2017 Cantina Terlan Pinot Noir Tradition
82 points
Tasted on site at Kellerei Terlan. Light colour, light body, smokey touch of oak. Some pretty raspberry fruit. Conference wine.
Red
2017 Cantina Terlan Lagrein
85 points
Tasted on site at Kellerei Terlan. Earthy, vegetal, plum. Quite full bodied. Pleasant sour finish. Interesting.
Red
2016 Cantina Terlan Torilan
80 points
Tasted on site at Kellerei Terlan. Blackcurrant, plum, a bit of oak. Slightly hot tasting and unbalanced. Not for me.
White
2017 Cantina Terlan Sauvignon Terlano Winkl
86 points
Tasted on site at Kellerei Terlan. A very unusual and earthy example of Sauvignon Blanc. Some jasmine and floral smells, and a touch of tropical fruit. Almost verging on meaty. Medium body and quite rich in the mouth, with plenty of balancing acid. Complex and interesting, if not completely to my taste.
White
2017 Cantina Terlan Terlano Terlaner Classico
86 points
Tasted on site at Kellerei Terlan. Restrained nose of peach, pear, some minerals. Medium body with a bit of smoke and spice. Plenty of acid and nothing out of place in the mouth. Good.
White
2016 Cantina Terlan Terlano Nova Domus Riserva
92 points
Tasted on site at Kellerei Terlan. Explosive ripe nose of peach, apricot, stoney minerals, some smoke. Full bodied with a hint of creamy roundness in the mouth. Fresh and acidic and a long finish of caramel, toffee and more peach. Very complex. Outstanding.
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White
2016 Cantina Terlan Pinot Bianco Terlano Riserva Vorberg
90 points
Tasted on site at Kellerei Terlan. Peachy nose, complex, with some stony minerals. Very spicy and ripe in the mouth, a powerful wine. Good fruit and enough acid. Long clean finish. Very good.
White
2017 Cantina Terlan Chardonnay Terlano Kreuth
88 points
Tasted on site at Kellerei Terlan. Restrained nose, peach, lemon, some minerals. Round and medium bodied, although not rich in the mouth. A touch of oak and plenty of acid. Very good.
White
2017 Kellerei Cantina Andrian Sauvignon Floreado
86 points
Tasted on site at Kellerei Terlan. They bottle this wine. Rich tropical and peach smell. Cleaner and more acidic in the mouth than the Terlan Winkl Sauvignon Blanc. Very good.
Red
2015 Cantina Terlan Pinot Noir Riserva Monticol
87 points
Tasted on site at Kellerei Terlan. Menthol, eucalyptus, oak, acetone. Very ripe fruit smell. Complex nose, blackberry and earthy minerals. Struggled a bit with elegance and had a rather hot smokey taste which I couldn't quite enjoy. Nevertheless good.
Flight 2 - Hofstätter (10 notes)
A Südtirol institution in the pretty village of Traminer. Good tasting room and restaurant. Unfortunately they wouldn't open the Vigna Sankt Urbano "Barthenau" for us, but neverthless a good visit.
White
2017 J. Hofstätter Weissburgunder
85 points
Tasted on site at Hofstätter. Light fresh nose, some peach, medium body. A bit of honey. Medium length finish. Good well balanced Weißburgunder.
White
2017 J. Hofstätter Pinot Grigio
85 points
Tasted on site at Hofstätter. Less mineral than the Weißburgunder. Also peachy fruit and a touch of smoke. Medium body, good ripe fruit in the mouth. Pleasant Grauburgunder suitable for many foods.
White
2017 J. Hofstätter Chardonnay
88 points
Tasted on site at Hofstätter. Some peachy fruit, ripe banana and mango. The banana blows off after a couple of minutes. Medium bodied and plenty of fruit in the mouth, quite round. There is enough acid to keep the wine fresh. Very good.
White
2017 J. Hofstätter Sauvignon Michei
86 points
Tasted on site at Hofstätter. Super pale straw colour. Some tropical fruit flavour and minerals. Light body, plenty of acid. Tangy and fresh. Good Sauvignon Blanc.
Red
2017 J. Hofstätter Schiava Kolbenhofer
86 points
Tasted on site at Hofstätter. Fresh cool pinot like nose. Raspberries, blackberries. Light body, high acid, low tannin. Pleasant red cherry finish. Versatile light red. Very good value.
Rosé
2017 J. Hofstätter Lagrein Rosé
83 points
Tasted on site at Hofstätter. Quite an earthy smell, typical of Lagrein but highly untypical of Rosé. High acid, pleasant red fruit taste. Unremarkable.
Red
2016 J. Hofstätter Lagrein
86 points
Tasted on site at Hofstätter. This wine is not aged in wood. Mixture of red fruit and earthy smells. Ripe plum. Quite vegetal in the mouth. Pleasant weight and acid. Some tannin and a touch of sour cherry. Medium length finish. Good and importantly typical of Lagrein.
Red
2015 J. Hofstätter Lagrein Steinraffler
87 points
Tasted on site at Hofstätter. Single vineyard, barrique aged. Rich purple colour. More cherry and plum than the standard Lagrein, also significantly less earthy, perhaps because of the wood. Quite elegant in the mouth, smooth tannins and relatively subtle oak. Medium weight and a clean acidic finish with some smoke and spice. Very good.
Red
2017 J. Hofstätter Meczan Pinot Nero Blauburgunder
86 points
Tasted on site at Hofstätter. No oak. Very spicy floral nose, blackberry, raspberry and cranberry. Light bodied simple wine, very fresh, pleasant finish.
Red
2015 J. Hofstätter Pinot Nero Riserva Mazon
87 points
Tasted on site at Hofstätter. Spicy nose, obvious oak influence. More complex smell than the basic Pinot Noir, some smoke, spice and red fruit smells. Medium bodied, well balanced. Pleasant wine, but it has lost a bit of fruit compared to the basic Pinot Noir. Still very good.
Flight 3 - Sankt Michael Eppan (12 notes)
Another excellent Südtirolese cooperative. The top wines more than warrant the modest increase in price in my opinion.
White
2017 San Michele Appiano (St. Michael-Eppan) Pinot Bianco Weissburgunder
85 points
Restrained smell, unremarkable. Some smoke, pear fruit. Quite high acid, refreshing and clean finish.
White
2017 San Michele Appiano (St. Michael-Eppan) Pinot Grigio
85 points
Tasted on site at St. Michael Eppan. Lightish smell, peach and pear. Medium body, high acid, resfreshing short finish. Not much complexity or interest but a competent wine.
White
2017 San Michele Appiano (St. Michael-Eppan) Chardonnay Alto Adige - Südtirol
86 points
Tasted on site at St. Michael Eppan. Softer nose than the Weiß and Grauburgunders. Citrus fruit but quite reserved. Tastes much riper than the smell suggests with peach and pear. Medium body, round mouthfeel. Enough clean acid to keep it balanced. Very good.
White
2017 San Michele Appiano (St. Michael-Eppan) Weissburgunder Alto Adige - Südtirol Schulthauser
86 points
Tasted on site at St. Michael Eppan. Some pear, peach on the nose although not particularly powerful. Good body, slightly smokey and flinty, very well balanced and good complexity.
White
2017 San Michele Appiano (St. Michael-Eppan) Riesling Montiggl
87 points
Tasted on site at St. Michael Eppan. Herbal smell, some anise and green apple. High acid, ripe taste, medium bodied, some ripe fruit, apple and pear. Super clean zippy finish. Very good. Combines weight, fruit and acid with no jagged edges.
White
2017 San Michele Appiano (St. Michael-Eppan) Chardonnay Merol
87 points
Tasted on site at St. Michael Eppan. Restrained fruit nose, a touch of banana as well as the pear. Round mouthfeel, decent weight. Clean finish and enough acid. Very good.
White
2017 San Michele Appiano (St. Michael-Eppan) Pinot Grigio Anger
86 points
Tasted on site at St. Michael Eppan. Soft fruit nose of peach and pear. High acid, medium body. Pleasant white fruit aftertaste. A touch more body and complexity than the basic Pinot Grigio.
White
2017 San Michele Appiano (St. Michael-Eppan) Sauvignon Lahn
88 points
Tasted on site at St. Michael Eppan. Highly aromatic nose of clean tropical fruit: banana and pineapple. Light body, high acid, good length finish. Very good.
White
2016 San Michele Appiano (St. Michael-Eppan) Pinot Bianco Sanct Valentin
90 points
Tasted on site at St. Michael Eppan. Smokey spicy nose. Some lighter peach and pear and oak smells. Herbal and long in the mouth, weighty and ripe without being heavy. Needs more time to soften but very good.
White
2016 San Michele Appiano (St. Michael-Eppan) Chardonnay Sanct Valentin
89 points
Tasted on site at St. Michael Eppan. Some wood present with the white fruit nose. Rich round mouthfeel, very ripe and full bodied. Still maintains freshness with significant acid. Would benefit from more time in the bottle. Very good.
White
2016 San Michele Appiano (St. Michael-Eppan) Pinot Grigio Sanct Valentin
89 points
Tasted on site at St. Michael Eppan. Some white fruit, peach and pear, similar to the Weißburgunder but slightly cooler. Full bodied and medium acid, rich and ripe. Long finish. Very good.
White
2017 San Michele Appiano (St. Michael-Eppan) Sauvignon Sanct Valentin
90 points
Tasted on site at St. Michael Eppan. Fresh mineral nose. Plenty of elderflower too. Leans more towards mineral and peachy smells than tropical fruit. Medium to full bodied in the mouth, well structured and long. Still very fresh and judging by the ripeness, acid and complexity would last several years longer. A style of Sauvignon Blanc which deserves more attention. Excellent.
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Flight 4 - Restaurant buys (5 notes)
A few ad hoc restaurant buys.
White
2017 Kornell Cosmas
88 points
Elderflower and pineapple, quite floral. Light body, relatively low acid. Ripe mango and tropical fruit also in the mouth. Pleasant finish. Good wine.
White
2017 Elena Walch Chardonnay Alto Adige - Südtirol Chardonnay Cardellino
86 points
Reserved fruit nose of pear, peach. Well balanced acid and body, a bit of stony minerality. Good fruity finish. Nothing out of place here.
White
2016 San Michele Appiano (St. Michael-Eppan) Pinot Bianco Sanct Valentin
90 points
Ripe peach and pear. Quite a savoury nose. Full bodied rich and viscous in the mouth, medium acid, a touch of oaky softness. Finish of white fruit. Excellent.
White
2017 Donnafugata Sicilia Anthìlia
86 points
Light neutral peachy nose, slightly herbal. In the mouth peach, light body, some stony minerals. Quite high acid. An unremarkable but well balanced wine.
Red
2011 Castello di Ama Chianti Classico Gran Selezione San Lorenzo
90 points
Slightly softened smell, cherry, black currant, tobacco. Ripe and plenty of fruit. Biting acidity and thick tannins with medium body. Long and persistent. This is very fresh and elegant Chianti, opened too early.
Closing
Next time we must visit Elena Walch and Alois Lageder.