27 July 2020 Mountain sunshine is transformed into precise whites and reds, some notably local, by one of Alto Adige's smallest co-ops.
Cantina Kurtatsch had the misfortune to be celebrating its 120th anniversary in May 2020, with plans for a big party to mark the opening of their spectacular new winery pictured above. The event was postponed rather than cancelled and although I was not able to attend, I was lucky enough to be able to taste one of the 3,000 bottles of their impressive and delicious bone-dry Blanc de Blancs 2014 – their first-ever sparkling wine – released to mark the anniversary, alongside some of their other recent releases.
The new cellar with its striking façade made of dolomitic rock effectively doubles the size of their winery, giving them not only a new barrel cellar but also five storage halls, a new shop and a five-storey ‘terroir walkway’ as part of the visitor centre.
As I explained in this 2017 wine of the week, Cantina Kurtatsch – also known as Kellerei Kurtatsch since Alto Adige/Südtirol is a bilingual region – is one of the oldest and smallest wine co-operatives in a part of Italy where co-ops play a major role. Led by its youthful president Andreas Kofler (below), it is certainly a lot smaller than the 1,000-member, 6,000-ha Vignerons Ardéchois featured in my wine of the week earlier this month.
The co-op’s 190 members farm just 190 ha (470 acres) of vines at elevations of 220–900 m (720–2,950 ft). As they explain in a recent press release:
‘The very warm, steeply sloping sites have clay and gravel soils and temperatures that reach up to 40 ºC (104 ºF) in the summer, ranking them among the hottest places in Italy and rendering them ideal for the production of top international red wines. The upper Brenntal vineyards are especially suitable for Gewürztraminer with outstanding ageing potential. The white wines, produced predominantly on steep limestone soils at elevations as high as 900 meters, benefit from strong, cooling nocturnal [catabatic] winds.’
This gives them a happy combination of pure, ripe fruit flavours and freshness, with an intelligent double focus on well-priced wines, such as the Caliz Chardonnay and the Lagrein, as well as the single-vineyard wines where site-and-variety partnerships are well established and which express their place of origin.
The majority of their wines showcase a single variety but the delicious Amos white is an exception, made mainly from Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio plus smaller amounts of Kerner, Sauvignon Blanc and Müller-Thurgau, all grown in exposed sites in the Cantina’s highest vineyards, pictured below.
Of the varietal wines, I particularly liked the sophisticated Kofl Sauvignon Blanc and the Penóner Pinot Grigio among the whites and among the reds I’d highlight the two made from local varieties: Lagrein and Schiava. The more ambitious, and more obviously oaked, Merlot and Cabernet Riservas clearly need more time.
The new winery and barrel cellar (below) will allow them to age their wines longer before release. I hope very much it will allow them to expand their production of the excellent Blanc de Blancs, though I wonder if wines other than the 600 Pas Dosé made specially for this 120th anniversary will be given the luxury of as many as 55 months on the lees.
Many of the 16 wines described below, white then red, are available in the UK and the US and retail prices, where known, are given in the notes. Kurtatsch's UK importers are Haynes Hanson & Clark (online and shops in London, Stow-on-the Wold and Whitchurch) and Alpine Wines (online, currently stocking some earlier vintages including 2017's Pinot Grigio, Lagrein, Pinot Nero, Sonntaler Schiava Grigia as well as Frauenrigl Lagrein Riserva 2015, with the 2018s on the way). In the US, the importers are North Berkeley Imports (most states), Wine Icons (New York and New Jersey) and Eurowines (Florida). The HH&C prices below are for single bottles but there's a discount if you buy a case.
They were planning to release this, their first Metodo Classico...
Pinot Bianco came to the South Tyrol from Burgundy around 150...
Steep hillside at 500–650 m. On loamy gravel. Temperature...
Planted on the somewhat cooler slopes above Kurtatsch. TA 5.6 g...
From Penón, a steep site above Kurtatsch at 550 m on sand and...
Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and other aromatic white...
Grown on clay and calcareous sand on a steep hillside at 450–600...
Clay soils at 250–350 m. Cold maceration of the must for 3.5...
The name Caliz apparently derives from the Latin terms calix ...
Hills with south/south-west exposure, 300–500 m. Calcareous...
Clayey vineyard in Glen, in the commune of Montan. Sunny days...
Mazon, at 300–450 m, is known locally for its Pinot Noir and is...
Grown on the lower hills above Kurtatsch. They write: 'Lagrein...
Grown on loose, sandy soils in the Kurtatsch Hills at 300–400 m...
Planted on clay at 200–250 m. Temperature-constrained...
The name of this wine derives from a Renaissance estate in...
