Nose

Color: deep ruby to garnet red with a delicate shimmer of violet
Smell: The aroma reveals earthy, minerally notes masterfully underpinned with fruit components, with morello cherry, dark chocolate and plum jam dominating.
Taste: These spicy and yet velvety fruit notes also intrigue the palate, where this Lagrein Riserva presents itself with multilayered opulence and great complexity.

Growing Conditions

The year began with a dry mild winter, and the first heavy rains did not fall until March. Somewhat early but uniform budding of the vines set in at the beginning of April. May was warm and mostly very sunny, and the young shoots developed particularly well, with the first signs of flowering visible on the earliest sites by the middle of the month. A cold spell at the beginning of June and several days of rain significantly slowed shoot development and also delayed flowering on the late sites. The following months of July and August brought a good balance of precipitation and pleasant temperatures, with nighttime temperatures always remaining on the cool side.

Harvest

On the early sites harvesting began in good weather on August 26. Towards the end of the month, however, the harvest was interrupted by heavy rainfall, and unstable weather at the beginning of September was a major challenge for many winegrowers. In some cases, it was necessary to bring in the harvest in two phases so as to ensure that only the fully ripe grapes were picked and the required grape maturity and quality could be achieved.

Winemaking

Manual harvest and selection of the grapes; destemming followed by slow must fermentation at a controlled temperature and gentle agitation of the must in stainless steel tanks; malolactic fermentation and aging for 12 months partly in big wooden barrels (50%) and partly in barriques using one third new barrels (50%); blending three months before bottling.

Aging

Cool storage at constant temperatures, high level of humidity and as little light as possible
Cellar temperature: 10 - 15 °C
Good ageing potential > 5 years

Food Pairing

Combines well with roast chamois with root vegetables and with veal cheeks braised in Lagrein and served with root vegetables.