Fresh, elegant and bright Pinot Noir wine with aromas of raspberry, blueberry muffin and dried cranberry

This velvety and elegant Pinot Noir is produced by Peter Zemmer in Alto Adige – the German-speaking part of Italy. It offers flavours of forest raspberry and fresh red cherries. Peter produces wines of very high quality, and four of them have won the “Two Glasses” award from Gambero Rosso – probably the most prestigious national wine competition in Italy. Peter’s secret is that his vineyard is located at 450 metres above sea level in the foothills of the Alps. Even in summer, cool winds from the glaciers help to preserve the natural acidity of the grapes.

Winemaking

To achieve a smooth and fresh aroma, Peter de-stems the grapes and ferments them for seven days at a constant temperature of 26-28 °C. He uses extended circulation and pumping over to encourage contact with the skins and extract more colour. After fermentation is finished, he gently and slowly removes the particles over the course of two rackings, when the wine is slowly pumped into another vat. This time-consuming method of clarification is typical for fine wines. After this, 70% of the Pinot Noir wine is aged for 8 months in large French oak barrels, while the rest is put into small, 2-3 year old French oak barriques. The wine is then blended to lend a delicate flavour of spice and smoke. It is then aged for another six months in bottle to fully integrate and refine the flavours.

Tasting notes

Medium ruby colour. This Pinot Noir wine has captivating aromas of fresh raspberry, red cherry, sweet blueberry muffin and dry cranberry. On the palate, it is dry with velvety flavours of fresh and dried red fruits, balanced with mouth-watering acidity. The wine benefits from a medium level of alcohol and a medium body. It’s a developing wine: drink now or keep it in the cellar as it will continue to improve.

Ageing potential

Six years

Awards

Decanter World Wine Awards 2020 – Bronze Medal (2019 vintage) | Gambero Rosso – 2 glasses (2019 vintage) | James Suckling – 92 pts (2019 vintage), 90 pts (2017 vintage) | I Vini di Veronelli 2020 – 2 stars (2018 vintage)