Cellar Profile
This organic winery is situated in the picturesque village bearing its name in Alto Adige, nestled in the Southern Alps and Dolomite mountain ranges. Its hand-crafted mountain wines are painstakingly made with as little intervention as possible to best exemplify the unique terroir of the region. These red wine vineyards have some of the hottest daytime temperatures in all of Italy, rising to 40℃ during the summer months, but with a significant drop in temperature in the evening to retain freshness. The whites come from the hamlets of Hofstatt and Penon, with heroic vineyards planted on exceedingly steep mountainsides at elevations up to 2500 ft above sea level. These rocky outcrops have a multitude of geological peculiarities, giving their wines intense, saline-like minerality. These are amongst the most aromatic and flavourful white wines on earth, ranging in style from steely dry to lusciously sweet.
Region
The region of Trentino-Alto Adige is bordered by East and North Tyrol (Austria) to the northeast and north respectively, by Graubünden (Switzerland) to the northwest and by the Italian regions of Lombardy to the west and Veneto to the south and southeast. It covers 13,607 square kilometres and is extremely mountainous, covering a large part of the Dolomites and the southern Alps. Südtirol (where Cantina Kurtatsch is located) has an area of 7,398 square kilometres, all of it mountainous land and covered by vast forests. The climate here is Mediterranean (hot summer and cold winters) owing to the influence of the many mountain ranges, which stand at over 3,000 metres above sea level, and the wide valleys through which flows (from north to south) the main river, the Adige, and its numerous tributaries.
Vineyard
This vineyard is located in the Hofstatt district of Kurtatsch, situated southwest above the village center at altitudes between 500 and 650 meters. The steep vineyards, calcareous subsoil with clay content and large diurnal shift found here create an ideal environment for growing Pinot Blanc. As with all Kurtatsch vineyards, Hofstatt is farmed organically.
Winemaking
Heroically hand-harvested from high elevation and steep slopes. The grapes are brought, cool, to the winery in small boxes to ensure no impure fermentation occurs. The fruit is pressed into stainless steel for a long, slow fermentation. The wine is kept cool, to prohibit the onset of malolactic conversion, and then ages on its lees in large, neutral oak barrels before being bottled.
Tasting Notes
High elevation white wine at its finest. Nervy and zesty. The elevation allows for full exposure to the sun, but huge drops in temperature in the evenings help retain freshness. Textbook stone fruit on the nose, along with petrichor and white grapefruit. Medium-bodied, with some mid-palate smoky, leesy notes. The acidic spine makes it thirst-quenching and refreshing. Do not overchill – the peach and apricot will come through on the palate, along with some salinity and stoniness. Serve alongside a roast chicken dinner, veggie stir fry or a picnic lunch of cold cut sandwiches and salad.
Varieties
Pinot Blanc is the white grape mutation of Pinot Noir. It is found mostly in Germany and Northern Italy, where wines are refreshing, peachy and dry. It can be intensely aromatic, with notes of white florals and stone fruit.