2015 Eloro “Spaccaforno”Riofavara
Italy | Sicily
$22
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Producers
Manni Nössing’s small estate lies in Bressanone, a village in the heart of the narrow Alpine valley known as the Valle Isarco. Just miles from the Austrian border, Manni’s vines are subject to a mountain climate in what is Italy’s northernmost grape-growing district. The cool conditions are ideal for producing racy, mineral-driven whites, and the grapes that fare best here—Kerner, Müller Thurgau, Grüner Veltliner—are imports from Austria and Germany. Grüner does superbly on these steep granitic slopes, and Manni has mastered farming and winemaking to achieve the right balance of mouthwatering acidity with sun-endowed ripeness and concentration. Like many growers in the area, he used to sell his grapes to the local co-op, but then he decided to vinify and bottle his own wine—a decision we applaud with each thirst-defying sip of his pure, invigorating whites. Stone, spice, and floral aromas make this example a truly compelling taste of the Dolomites.
—Anthony Lynch
Vintage: | 2016 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Grüner Veltliner |
Appellation: | Alto Adige – Valle Isarco |
Country: | Italy |
Region: | Alto Adige |
Producer: | Manni Nössing |
Winemaker: | Manni Nössing |
Vineyard: | 2-15 years, 1.2 ha |
Soil: | Sandy, Granite |
Aging: | Temperature-controlled fermentation 50% in stainless steel vats, 50% in 30-hL, 5-year-old acacia botti lasts about 10-12 days |
Farming: | Sustainable |
Alcohol: | 13.5% |
Manni Nössing Italy | Alto Adige | Alto Adige – Valle Isarco
Ferruccio Carlotto Italy | Alto Adige | Vigneti delle Dolomiti
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.
Ferruccio Carlotto Italy | Alto Adige | Vigneti delle Dolomiti
Manni Nössing Italy | Alto Adige | Alto Adige – Valle Isarco
Manni Nössing Italy | Alto Adige | Alto Adige – Valle Isarco
Weingut Carlotto Italy | Alto Adige | Alto Adige
Manni Nössing Italy | Alto Adige | Alto Adige – Valle Isarco
Ferruccio Carlotto Italy | Alto Adige | Vigneti delle Dolomiti
Peter Dipoli Italy | Alto Adige | Alto Adige
Bèrto Vermouth Italy | Piedmont
Grottafumata Italy | Sicily
Azienda Santa Barbara Italy | Marche | Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi
Corte Gardoni Italy | Veneto | Bardolino
Riofavara Italy | Sicily
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
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