Pinot Bianco, Südtirol-Alto Adige, Hofstätter 2020 is no longer available

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Pinot Bianco, Südtirol-Alto Adige, Hofstätter 2020

4.000000000 star rating 4 Reviews
With delicate fennel, sage and citrus fragrance and freshness, and lovely clean ripe fruit this mineral, crisp white is a delight. Hofstätter have long experience of growing this underrated variety in their corner of north-west Italy and do it extremely well.
is no longer available
Code: IT32321

Wine characteristics

  • White Wine
  • 2 - Dry
  • Pinot Blanc
  • Drinking now
  • 13.5% Alcohol
  • no oak influence
  • Cork, natural

North East Italy

Three regions constitute this wide and varied area. In the very north-east, abutting Slovenia and Croatia lies Friuli-Venezia Giulia. South and east of Venice spreads the broad swathe of the Veneto, one of Italy's main wine producing areas in terms of volume. Finally, falling from the foothills of the Dolomites is Trentino-Alto Adige.

Since the 1970s Friuli-Venezia Giulia has earned a fine reputation for high-quality white wines and a burgeoning one for reds. Most of the estates here are family owned with some co-operatives dotted around. Much of the inland area is hilly or mountainous with flatter vineyards sited around the Isonzo River as it comes down to the sea. The two principal white wine making areas are the Friuli Colli Orientali in the north-west and Collio Goriziano in the centre and east around the curve of the Slovenian border.

The Orientali vineyards are in the lee of the Julian Alps and are cooler than the vineyards of Collio Goriziano though they are protected from...

Three regions constitute this wide and varied area. In the very north-east, abutting Slovenia and Croatia lies Friuli-Venezia Giulia. South and east of Venice spreads the broad swathe of the Veneto, one of Italy's main wine producing areas in terms of volume. Finally, falling from the foothills of the Dolomites is Trentino-Alto Adige.

Since the 1970s Friuli-Venezia Giulia has earned a fine reputation for high-quality white wines and a burgeoning one for reds. Most of the estates here are family owned with some co-operatives dotted around. Much of the inland area is hilly or mountainous with flatter vineyards sited around the Isonzo River as it comes down to the sea. The two principal white wine making areas are the Friuli Colli Orientali in the north-west and Collio Goriziano in the centre and east around the curve of the Slovenian border.

The Orientali vineyards are in the lee of the Julian Alps and are cooler than the vineyards of Collio Goriziano though they are protected from northerly winds and have a more continental climate. They sit at altitudes of between 330 and 1200 metres on soils that were once beneath the ocean, so marl and sandstone predominate. The Collio Goriziano vineyards enjoy slightly greater influence from the Adriatic to the south, though the cool air draining from the higher ground in the north plays its part, and the vineyards sit upon the many steep slopes in this hilly country.

Pinot grigio was an early success here and is still widely made, but chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and pinot bianco have joined local varieties like tocai fiuliano, picolit and verduzzo in producing some of Italy's freshest and most interesting white wines. Local varieties like schioppetino and refosco have struggled to find an audience outside of the region in the past though this is changing, and some Bordeaux blends from the Grave region of free draining alluvial soils are making people sit up and take notice.

Trentino-Alto Adige was once part of the Austro-Hungarian empire and in the northern parts of the province (Alto Adige) German is still widely spoken. Indeed, the architecture, food and customs owe much to their Teutonic roots and there are elements that remain in the vineyards that echo a Germanic past. Riesling is planted here and the village of Tramin gave its name to the gewürztraminer grape which is now so widely planted in another region with Germanic influences, Alsace. To reinforce that comparison, sylvaner, muscat, müller-thurgau and pinot gris (grigio) are also to be found here.

Alto Adige is also known as the Süd-Tyrol (South Tyrol) and lies on the border with Austria and is Italy's most northerly wine region. Here the vines grow in the foothills of the Alps, on the lower slopes along the Adige Valley. Altitudes vary between 200 and 1000 metres. White wines made the reputation of the region for their lively, fresh purity but reds are grown here too. Schiava and the burlier lagrein are the indigenous varieties much used here, though bracing cabernet sauvignon and merlot wines are made from plantings that can struggle to ripen and escape some greenness. Some very fine pinot noir wines are having an impact for their high-class and poise.

The Veneto is something of a vinous bread basket. The soils are fertile, which is not usually propitious for fine wine production, and officially permitted yields are unacceptably high. The region produces enormous quantities of everyday wines for exporting and blending but also embraces the Valpolicella region where the jewel in the crown is Valpolicella Amarone, the sweetly rich, full-bodied expression of semi-dried corvina and rondinella grapes that is sought after the world over. Though bulk production, particularly through large and highly-efficient co-operatives, is still prevalent the improvements in winemaking and viticulture are clear, and there are many producers in formerly workaday DOCs like Valpolicella and Soave who are turning their corvina, rondinella, garganega and trebbiano di lugana (turbiano) grapes into vinous gems. Prosecco is also produced here from the glera grape in the hills around Conigliano almost due north of Venice, and is something of a worldwide phenomenon in terms of sales volume. As ever, there is a lot of basic fizz but the producers who take a little more care in vineyards and wineries are making delicious bubblies at all price levels.

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Hofstätter

The J.Hofstätter estate was established in 1907 by the Foradori-Hofstätter family in the Alto Adige region of northern Italy, bordering Switzerland and Austria. The 50 hectares of vineyards are located on both sides of the steep Adige valley on south-west and south-east facing slopes which benefit from good sunlight at this high altitude. Within the estate there is a wealth of different soil types and microclimates; the soils themselves include deposits created by glaciers that melted from the Alps. A range of different grape varieties is grown here including the demanding gewüztraminer and the sensitive pinot nero (pinot noir). The latter is an important variety for Hofstätter, who make some of the most fragrant and seductive examples, with a freshness, texture and unmistakeable pinot flavour rarely encountered in Italian pinot noir. Pinot bianco is also a particular speciality.

Making wine in this cool, mountainous area requires the highest level of vineyard husbandry, reflected in Hofstätter’s commitment to their environment. One of the guiding principles here is to respect the biological rhythms of nature, and to interfere with them as little as possible. Interestingly, the estate has a very special relationship with bees, producing a delicious honey called Hofstätter Honig, and relying on the bees to replace chemicals in pest control. The team here is largely drawn from local people led by Martin Foradori, his cousin Franz Oberhöfer and their gifted winemaker Markus...
The J.Hofstätter estate was established in 1907 by the Foradori-Hofstätter family in the Alto Adige region of northern Italy, bordering Switzerland and Austria. The 50 hectares of vineyards are located on both sides of the steep Adige valley on south-west and south-east facing slopes which benefit from good sunlight at this high altitude. Within the estate there is a wealth of different soil types and microclimates; the soils themselves include deposits created by glaciers that melted from the Alps. A range of different grape varieties is grown here including the demanding gewüztraminer and the sensitive pinot nero (pinot noir). The latter is an important variety for Hofstätter, who make some of the most fragrant and seductive examples, with a freshness, texture and unmistakeable pinot flavour rarely encountered in Italian pinot noir. Pinot bianco is also a particular speciality.

Making wine in this cool, mountainous area requires the highest level of vineyard husbandry, reflected in Hofstätter’s commitment to their environment. One of the guiding principles here is to respect the biological rhythms of nature, and to interfere with them as little as possible. Interestingly, the estate has a very special relationship with bees, producing a delicious honey called Hofstätter Honig, and relying on the bees to replace chemicals in pest control. The team here is largely drawn from local people led by Martin Foradori, his cousin Franz Oberhöfer and their gifted winemaker Markus Heinel. Land in the village of Tramin (the origins of gewürztraminer) where Hofstätter is based, is limited, so their remarkable cellars are five levels high. Pinot nero matures in barrels below ground and the tasting room on the top floor is level with the bell tower of the church!
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Italy Vintage 2020

2020 will always be the year that winemakers, and owners spent the year in the vineyards. As lockdowns around the world prevented travel many of our Italian suppliers talked of the silver lining of suddenly being able to get fully hands on again focusing time in their vineyards, tending to vines and reflecting on the year. The vintage will be special for this, with a level of scrutiny that can’t often be afforded to each vine, and an ability to manage vineyard processes with micro precision. The generally warm, dry season has led to good levels of concentration, albeit on slightly lower than average yields, promising good reds and securing Italy as a good choice for members looking for character and interest delivered at all price points.

Looking at Tuscany in a little more detail, winemakers have spoken very positively about the 2020 sangiovese harvest which showed wonderfully intense aromatics from early on.

In Piedmont, winemakers were very positive about how 2020 played out with ...
2020 will always be the year that winemakers, and owners spent the year in the vineyards. As lockdowns around the world prevented travel many of our Italian suppliers talked of the silver lining of suddenly being able to get fully hands on again focusing time in their vineyards, tending to vines and reflecting on the year. The vintage will be special for this, with a level of scrutiny that can’t often be afforded to each vine, and an ability to manage vineyard processes with micro precision. The generally warm, dry season has led to good levels of concentration, albeit on slightly lower than average yields, promising good reds and securing Italy as a good choice for members looking for character and interest delivered at all price points.

Looking at Tuscany in a little more detail, winemakers have spoken very positively about the 2020 sangiovese harvest which showed wonderfully intense aromatics from early on.

In Piedmont, winemakers were very positive about how 2020 played out with warm but not too hot weather through August and September, allowing for a low pressure October harvest. The diurnal temperature fluctuations on the warmer days is also being credited for the highly aromatic nature of wines that will need time to develop. Expectation were and remain high.
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2019 vintage reviews
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