2022 ChevernyDomaine du Salvard
France | Loire
$22
Producers
The eastern Loire Valley may be the epicenter of elegant, cool-climate Sauvignon Blanc, but it is not the only place this grape can reach stunning heights. Along the steep slopes of the Dolomites, in northeastern Italy’s Alto Adige region, Peter Dipoli grows and vinifies Sauvignon Blanc so distinctive and mesmerizing that it pushes the boundaries of how wines from this variety should taste. Much like a glass of great Chablis, which is made from Chardonnay but has its own unique and unmistakable essence, Voglar is incredibly stimulating in that it is made from Sauvignon Blanc, but you would never mistake it for Sancerre or Pouilly-Fumé. At most, it tastes like a distant cousin.
As singular as this bianco is, Peter considers himself a traditionalist and devotee to cool-climate Sauvignon, so much so that he performed extensive terroir studies in the late ’80s to find exactly where he should plant his grapes. On top of being stunningly beautiful, the limestone-rich and high-elevation slopes near Bolzano are perfectly suited to the variety, allowing Peter’s grapes to mature at a glacial pace. This, in turn, guarantees that they ripen evenly while preserving the liveliness that makes Sauvignon Blanc so mouth-watering. Peter then ages the wine in large acacia botti, which lends the perfect finishing touch, imbuing this bianco with exhilarating complexity, texture, and balance. At once luscious and vibrant, Voglar is not only one of Italy’s most sublime Sauvignon Blancs, but one of the country’s great white wines.
—Tom Wolf
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2018 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Sauvignon Blanc |
Appellation: | Alto Adige |
Country: | Italy |
Region: | Alto Adige |
Producer: | Peter Dipoli |
Winemaker: | Peter Dipoli |
Vineyard: | Planted in 1990 |
Soil: | Chalky, dolomite, limestone |
Farming: | Sustainable |
Alcohol: | 13% |
Peter Dipoli Italy | Alto Adige | Alto Adige
Peter Dipoli Italy | Alto Adige | Alto Adige
Manni Nössing Italy | Alto Adige | Alto Adige – Valle Isarco
Manni Nössing Italy | Alto Adige | Alto Adige – Valle Isarco
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.
Manni Nössing Italy | Alto Adige | Alto Adige – Valle Isarco
Peter Dipoli Italy | Alto Adige | Alto Adige
Manni Nössing Italy | Alto Adige | Alto Adige – Valle Isarco
Manni Nössing Italy | Alto Adige | Alto Adige – Valle Isarco
Manni Nössing Italy | Alto Adige | Alto Adige – Valle Isarco
Ferruccio Carlotto Italy | Alto Adige | Vigneti delle Dolomiti
Ferruccio Carlotto Italy | Alto Adige | Alto Adige
Manni Nössing Italy | Alto Adige | Alto Adige – Valle Isarco
Peter Dipoli Italy | Alto Adige | Alto Adige
Davide Vignato Italy | Veneto | Gambellara Classico
Giovanni Montisci Italy | Sardinia | Vino Rosso
Podere Campriano Italy | Tuscany | Chianti Classico Riserva
For the wines that I buy I insist that the winemaker leave them whole, intact. I go into the cellars now and select specific barrels or cuvées, and I request that they be bottled without stripping them with filters or other devices. This means that many of our wines will arrive with a smudge of sediment and will throw a more important deposit as time goes by, It also means the wine will taste better.
Drinking distilled spirits, beer, coolers, wine and other alcoholic beverages may increase cancer risk, and, during pregnancy, can cause birth defects. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/alcohol
Many food and beverage cans have linings containing bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical known to cause harm to the female reproductive system. Jar lids and bottle caps may also contain BPA. You can be exposed to BPA when you consume foods or beverages packaged in these containers. For more information, go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/bpa