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2010 Alto Adige Merlot-Cabernet Sauvignon “Iugum”

Peter Dipoli
Discount Eligible $48.00
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When drinking Peter Dipoli’s wines, it is not unusual to forget the grape variety in question and instead revel in the awe-inspiring site that gave birth to these creations. Hundreds of meters above the valley floor in the Dolomites of Alto Adige, these vineyards offer all the right conditions for the making of a grande vino: elevation, slope, exposure, and soils of clay and limestone that yield low quantities of characterful, concentrated fruit. In Peter’s cellar, vinification is a means of bringing out the most of the terroir in order to capture the beauty of the site in bottle. Natural yeasts transform grapes to wine, then both white and red see a healthy dose of wood for a lengthy aging period. The intense, structured nectar can easily digest it. The oak barriques help soften the grippy mountain tannins of the profound, dark-fruited Iugum, giving an elegant texture to envelop the powerful core within. Dipoli’s creations represent unique interpretations of both grape and terroir, and offer a compelling taste of the Dolomites young and old.

Anthony Lynch


Technical Information
Wine Type: red
Vintage: 2010
Bottle Size: 750mL
Blend: 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon
Appellation: Alto Adige
Country: Italy
Region: Alto Adige
Producer: Peter Dipoli
Winemaker: Peter Dipoli
Vineyard: Planted in 1992
Soil: Clay, Limestone
Aging: Wine ages in bottle until 4 years after harvest
Farming: Sustainable
Alcohol: 14.5%

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About The Region

Alto Adige

map of Alto Adige

In the heart of the Dolomites, Alto Adige is Italy’s northernmost wine region. Having changed hands multiples times in its history between Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire (it shares a border with Austria), it boasts strong Germanic influence on its culture, language, cuisine, as well as its wines.

The mountainous geography is the principal determinant of local winemaking styles, with the high-altitude vineyards and cool Alpine climate favoring primarily crisp, racy, aromatic whites from varieties like Kerner, Sauvignon, Müller Thurgau, and Grüner Veltliner. A Mediterranean influence on climate is channeled north up the valley until Bolzano, permitting the cultivation of certain reds as well, among which Schiava, Lagrein, Pinot Nero, and Merlot fare best.

Small growers who once sold fruit to the area’s multiple co-ops are now increasingly bottling their own wines. The arrival of many quality-oriented artisans on the scene caught our eye years ago, and we now count three estates from Südtirol, as it is also known, in our portfolio. These high-acid mountain wines make for a beautifully invigorating aperitivo with thinly sliced speck, a local specialty.

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Sampling wine out of the barrel.

When buying red Burgundy, I think we should remember:

1. Big wines do not age better than light wine.
2. A so-called great vintage at the outset does not guarantee a great vintage for the duration.
3. A so-called off vintage at the outset does not mean the wines do not have a brilliant future ahead of them.
4. Red Burgundy should not taste like Guigal Côte-Rôtie, even if most wine writers wish it would.
5. Don’t follow leaders; watch yer parking meters.

Inspiring Thirst, page 174