Multi award-winning, rich and concentrated Pinot Nero Riserva wine from a high-altitude Alpine vineyard

This Pinot Nero Riserva offers a richer, more concentrated taste than any Pinot Nero we have ever tried. It absolutely bursts with flavours of dry rose, dark chocolate and black spices. The secret is that it’s crafted from hand-picked grapes grown at an astonishing altitude of 1,030 metres. The vineyard – Vigna Kofl – is south-facing, so the grapes get lots of sunshine and ripen well despite the high altitude. Cold winds blowing down from the glaciers keep vines well ventilated and healthy. At such high elevation, the low night-time temperatures help the grapes to keep their natural zingy acidity. This preserves the natural freshness of the wine over many years.

Winemaking

The grapes are de-stemmed, crushed and fermented for seven days at a constant temperature of 26-28 °C. In order to extract more colour and tannins, Peter Zemmer uses extended circulation and pumping over during that period. When fermentation is finished, he gently and slowly removes the particles over the course of two rackings. This is when the wine is slowly pumped into another vat, without the use of a centrifuge. Racking is more time-consuming, but it’s typical for fine wines. After this, the Pinot Nero Riserva is put into small French oak barriques to age for twelve months. Then, it is transferred into stainless steel vats to age for six months more. Finally, the wine is bottled and aged for six additional months, so that it can fully integrate and reach its true potential.

Tasting notes

Thanks to its unique high-altitude origins, this Riserva wine offers much more flavour than a standard Pinot Nero. When poured in the glass, it has a noble ruby colour with a pale orange rim. Give this wine a bit of time to breathe and open up, and it will delight you with aromas of dry rose and strawberry. On the palate, it offers tastes of dark chocolate and dry cranberry, underpinned by notes of black pepper and juniper berry. This Riserva wine is still developing, and will continue to age beautifully in the cellar for a long time.

Ageing potential: 10 years

Awards

Decanter World Wine Awards 2021 – Silver Medal (2018 vintage) | Robert Parker – 92 points (2018 vintage) | James Suckling – 92 points (2018 vintage) | Falstaff – 92 points (2018 vintage) | Decanter World Wine Awards 2020 – Silver Medal (2017 vintage) | “Two Glasses” by Gambero Rosso (2017 vintage)