The ancient Roman emperors and, later, the German ones of Sacro Romano Impero, knew very well the high quality of the vines cultivated in the sunny basin of Bolzano, and were used to stock “Potzner, the wine produced there. Today, in the same area, stands the Cantina Produttori Bolzano, one of the most important cooperative wineries in South Tyrol, formed in 2001 by the merger of Cantina Gries (founded in 1908) and that of Santa Magdalena (founded in 1930). The winery has 224 members who, led by oenologist Stephan Filippi, manage 340 hectares of vineyards, spread mainly in the district of Bolzano, with some parcels, such as Santa Magdalena, 50 kilometres further north-west. The strength of this winery is due to the wide variety of soils on which its vineyards are located, characterized also by heterogeneous altitudes ranging from 200 to 1000 meters above sea level.
The production philosophy is inspired by a low energy impact, as demonstrated by the new winery in which, since 2018, the grapes are processed starting from its highest point, facing the various vinification steps with a falling path, from the upper level to the lower one, until the lowest, where the ageing takes place. The adoption of these procedures has guaranteed a double advantage: a considerable energy saving, combined with the possibility of carrying out all the vinification phases treating the grapes first and the masses then with extreme delicacy, without shock.
As mentioned, the winery tends to enhance the work and experience of individual members, who have been cultivating their plots for so long to know almost all the secrets. This is the case of Kleinstein in St. Justina, Renon, where Hanno Mayr and his family are dedicated to the production of various grapes, among which stand out Gewürztraminer and Chardonnay. This last, whose grapes grow at an altitude of 500 meters, is harvested between the middle and the end of September, and the grapes, once arrived in the cellar, after a delicate pressing, ferment on the fine lees, with a part that carries out the two fermentations (alcoholic and malolactic) in barriques. A few months of aging and the wine is ready for marketing.
The 2019 vintage has an intense straw color with some golden streaks, and an olfactory range that opens on notes of yellow melon, nectarine, dried apricot and mango, followed by hawthorn, vanilla and toasted hazelnut, with final echoes of damp pebbles. The palate, despite the predominance of softness, has good, juicy and thirst-quenching, acidity, combined with a hint of mineral flavor and white pepper; all this while return retro-olfactory notes of yellow fruit and spices that accompany the sip until a good length closing.
Rating: 88/100
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