Vinous – Ian D’Agata

Vinous – December 2018:

In “The Wines of Alto Adige,” Ian D’Agata writes about the important role that wine cooperatives play in the region of Alto Adige, which “arguably makes Italy’s best white wines.” D’Agata continues to acknowledge that “Alto Adige boasts many top-notch privately owned wine estates as well,” naming TIEFENBRUNNER as one.

93 points  | TURMHOF Gewürztraminer 2016
“Bright orange-tinged golden yellow. Lovely, archetypal nose of rose, grapefruit, ripe peach and mango. Rich, dense and luscious, with a fresh tropical fruit set of flavors that are nicely lifted and extended on the long spicy finish. A knockout Gewürz. Two thirds of the grapes used are grown in vineyards planted on calcareous soils that give more elegant wines while the other third come from the areas around Cortaccia and Tramin which are more clay-rich and give showy but less refined wines, according to Christoph Tiefenbrunner.”

92 points  | ANNA Pinot Bianco 2016 IAN D’AGATAS BEST BUY WINES OF 2018!
“Bright straw-green. Precise, perfumed nose of white flowers, apple, pear, plus complicating hints of honey and sweet spices. Fresh, juicy and dense with harmonious lively acidity lifting the flavors of orchard fruit and beeswax. The 2016 Pinot Bianco Anna finishes long with noteworthy minerality. A lovely wine made from grapes grown in different vineyards ranging from roughly 300 to 600 meters above sea level (one third of the grapes are sourced from a forty year old vineyard in Magré, and another in Penon at 600 meters above sea level, where grapes have higher levels of acidity thanks to the higher altitude). The wine is called Anna in honor of Christof Tiefenbrunner’s daughter. Roughly 30% of the wine is aged in stainless steel, 50% in large 20-30hL oak casks and 30% tonneaux.”

92 points  | FELDMARSCHALL VON FENNER Müller Thurgau 2016
“Crystalline straw-green color. Ripe aromas of stone fruit and mountain herbs on the refined nose. Then very peachy and appley, rich and round, viscous and fat for this wine. Less mineral and more herbal than usual on the long finish.”

92 points  | LINTICLARUS Lagrein Riserva 2015“Deep bright red. Very refined nose of red cherry, plum, tar, soy sauce and Oriental spices. Rich and dense but with harmonious acidity offering the ripe blue, black fruit and savory herb flavors outstanding clarity and cut. Long, tactile and clean.”

91+ points | LINTICLARUS Pinot Noir Riserva 2015
“Bright ruby. Perfumed with light on its feet aromas and flavors of red berries and spicy dark plum. Finishes savory with herbal nuances and a touch of youthfully chewy oak tannins. A very promising Italian Pinot Noir. Well done.”

91 points  | VIGNA AU Chardonnay Riserva 2015
“Bright golden-tinged straw. Sneakily complex aromas of apple, pear and butter, freshened up by hints of lemon and bergamot. Crisp and fresh, with juicy acidity and a rising tannic spine providing support to the custard cream and marzipan flavors. Finishes long and pure with hints of cinnamon. This wine used to be called Linticlarus, but this is made only with grapes from the Au vineyard.”

91 points  | RACHTL Sauvignon Blanc Riserva 2015
“Bright golden-tinged straw. Fresh aromas of gunflint and licorice complement notes of yellow melon and green fig. Bright, fresh and juicy, with very clean and precise flavors similar to the aromas. Closes long, very clean and bright. A beautiful, classically dry and very perfumed Sauvignon Blanc Riserva. The Rachtl is a small vineyard (0.4 hectares) in the southern Isarco Valley that gives a very mineral wine unlike any other made on the property. First made in 2012, but first officially released only with the 2014 vintage. Aged in large oak casks and tonneaux (20%) for one year, then moved to a stainless steel. No malolactic done.”

90 points  | TURMHOF Sauvignon Blanc 2016
“Bright straw. Licorice and fennel complement ripe apricot and melon on the showy nose. Finishes long and clean with repeating herbal and lime notes. Half of the grapes come from the lower Valle Isarco (a very sandy, -porphyry site, with little clay) and the area around Cortaccia (where the soils are much more calcareous-clay). The Cortaccia area gives a more floral ripe Sauvignon Blanc, while the Valle Isarco area contributes a more mineral and flinty, Sancerre-like wine; the two sources of grapes make for an ideal blend. This wine used to be called Kirchleiten, the vineyard where the grapes came from until vintage 2015. Since this is a low-lying vineyard (330 meters above sea level) the microclimate is now too warm to deliver suitable grapes for this wine. Starting from vintage 2016 the vineyard sources are all located at 400 to 700 meters above sea level.”

90 points  | TURMHOF Chardonnay 2016
“Golden-tinged yellow. Bright, dense and juicy, with an enticing savory nuance to the fresh yellow fruit aromas and flavors. The 2016 Chardonnay Turmhof finishes very long with juicy acidity and plenty of spicy cut. The grapes grow in four-five vineyards that are roughly twenty years old. The wine ages partly in used barriques, large oak barrels and stainless steel and are pout through the malolactic. I am happy to report this is much less oaky than in the past.”

>> to the online-article-Dec 2018