The history of Girlan winery began in 1923 with 23 winegrowers who, at the urging of the founder and first president Johann Kofler Krautschneider, established its headquarters in a 16th century farm. The first real turning point of the winery occurred in 1961, when it was produced a selection of Schiava that took its name from the number of casks in which it was aged: Fass (=cask) Nr.9. Since then, this grape has become one of the winery’s trademarks, alongside other typical South Tyrolean varieties, such as Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir, since 1980. In the meantime, a century of history has already passed and today the winery, with its president Oscar Lorandi and wine manager Gerhard Kofler, brings together 200 members, holders of 220 hectares of vineyards.
At Girlan the production philosophy is characterized by a wise mix between the preservation of traditional production techniques, and the adoption of ecological, natural and energy-saving practices. In the vineyard, the frequency of interventions on plants has been drastically reduced, chemistry has been almost entirely abandoned, as well as the drip irrigation system. The fight against harmful parasites is carried out by means of the exual confusion technique, and the grassing of the inter-rows with the sowing of legumes is practiced. In the cellar the fight against energy waste results in the use of the photovoltaic plant owned and in the use of underground storage environments, with ideal temperature and humidity conditions, reaching a saving of 50% of consumption.
As mentioned at the beginning, after Schiava, since the 80s the winery has been engaged in the study and enhancement of Pinot Noir, thanks to an important work of zoning. Thanks to this work tehy were identified 3 microzones, whose characteristics were mapped individually, parcels by parcel, vineyard by vineyard. From a vineyard located in one of these microzones, that of Mazon, the most important and prestigious wine of the winery is born: the Pinot Noir Vigna Ganger. It is a wine produced only from 2012 from a monopole vineyard exposed to the southwest, at an altitude of 360-380 meters, with slopes of 3%-5% and clay soils with calcareous skeleton. From this vineyard the grapes are sent, in small containers, to the cellar, where they are vinified, for a fifth whole bunch, before fermenting for about 25 days in stainless steel vats. After spontaneous malolactic fermentation, the wine is aged in barrique, for 20 months, and in bottle, for 18, before marketing.
The 2016 vintage shows a ruby color of medium intensity with an olfactory range that opens on notes of black cherry grenadine, durone cherry, peach peel and wild strawberry, followed by bloody orange, withered tea rose, powder and wet chalk, with final hematic, boisée and empyreumatic echoes. The palate develops mainly between fresh (citric) and savory notes, with a good softness and tannins of excellent shape; all enriched by the return of red fruit and blood hints that accompany the sip to a very long finish.
Rating: 94/100
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