This is the flagship red of the winery.
Doctor Wine 95 points.
Wine Advocate 92 points.
The 2017 Alto Adige Cabernet Sauvignon Riserva Quintessenz is a polished and elegant expression of the grape. There is plenty of dark fruit on the bouquet, with blackberry, cherry and plum, but this hot-vintage expression also shows a slightly exotic quality. I am reminded of Indian spice or crushed coriander seed. The wine is fermented in large wooden casks with extended skin macerations lasting four weeks. The wine undergoes its second fermentation in oak, and it ages in barrique for an additional 18 months. This wine wraps thickly over the palate, and there's a touch of phenolic bitterness that is commonly found in the 2017 vintage. Production is 10,000 bottles, and I'd be curious to come back to this wine in five years' time when it has fully fleshed out. ML Sep 2020.
Grape variety:
95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Merlot.
Production area:
Gently sloping, south-east facing vineyard at 220 - 260 meters above sea level, very warm micro-climate, loamy, gravely weathered chalk.
Yield: 50 hl per hectare.
Vinification:
Fermentation in large wooden casks with extended maceration for 4 weeks, malo-lactic fermentation and 18 month ageing in barrique (50% new), light filtration and bottling.
Description:
Color: deep cherry red. Nose: cherry, raspberry, rose-hip tea overtones.
Taste: voluminous and velvety on the palate; long, smooth finish
Matching:
This wine should be partnered with red meats, game or piquant cheeses.
