The valley between Bolzano and Merano was known since the time of Reti and Romans for its climate and the composition of its lands dedicated to the cultivation of vines, whose juice, in the Early Middle Ages, was a popular source of income. In those lands, between San Paolo, Missiano, Appiano Monte and Riva di Sotto, was born in 1907, the Cantina Produttori St. Pauls, by the work of 36 farmers gathered in a social cooperative.
Over time the cooperative has expanded to the present day, bringing together more than 200 members, managed by the current president Dieter Haas and coordinated, in the vineyard and in the cellar, by oenologist Wolfgag Tratter. Tratter philosophy can be translated into a scrupulous selection of the variety according to the vineyards, a general lowering of yields per plant (to obtain richer and more valuable grapes) and a wise balance between agronomic and oenological techniques archaic and modern. The evidence of this oscillation between past and present is given by the fact that the ancient walls of the cellar, built in 1908, have remained unchanged, despite, within them, the old French oak barrels have been flanked by modern steel tanks and barriques, to provide each wine the best environment for its aging.
Among the wines produced, a position of great importance is covered by this Pinot Bianco Riserva Sanctissimus, the standard-bearer of the winery, from grapes from the oldest vineyard (1899). The land, very steep, composed by limestone dating back to the Ice Age, is located at an altitude of about 350 meters above sea level, near the church of Missiano. The grapes, manually harvested, are left to macerate and ferment in amphora, for 4/5 months, before being aged in a large oak cask of Appiano, for another 12 months.
The 2016 vintage has a straw yellow color tending to golden, rather dense, with the first distinct aromas of chamomile, caramelized cooked apple, kaiser pear, chestnut honey and candied citron, followed by hay, saffron and anise with concluding balsamic echoes of chlorophyll and laurel. The opulence of the taste seems almost sweet, due to the glyceric roundness, with a discreet acidity (enough to slim the sip) and a hint of spiciness, set between the olfactory returns of honey and ripe fruit in yellow flesh which persist even after the long finish.
Rating: 93/100
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