2001 J. Hofstatter Pinot Bianco

In the north east region of Alto Adige in Italy, Hofstätter has ensured that past tradition has always had a profound influence on the present. Once a wine growing region breaks completely with tradition it risks losing its historical identity, subject to the fickle and constantly fluctuating market. The vineyard consists of 100 year old vines but in contrast innovative cultivation techniques have been adopted readily if an improvement can be made to the finished product. In the 1960's, Hofstätter introduced the Guyot Trellising system, a method of training vines, which is only now gaining wide exceptance in the region. The vines are cared for on a daily basis using bio-dynamic methods which are beneficial to the environment and which restore the original characteristics of the vine. In this way Hofstätter has succeeded in finding the correct equilibrium, adapting the best from Alto Adige's rich wine growing tradition to modern knowledge in order to fine tune viticultural techniques and winemaking methods.

The path that Hofstätter has chosen to follow is to focus on the varieties that are genuinely typical and revive the traditions of certain vines that may have been forgotten. To produce wines which not only express the character and nature of their origins but which also bear the name of the places where they were grown.

35% of the grapes are destemmed and crushed in the usual manner, while the remainder are left whole in the fermentation tanks. During fermentation the skins are left submerged. After fermentation, the wine spends 10 months in Slovenian oak casks and a further 6 months in the bottle before release. Serve at room temperature, and open 2 to 3 hours prior to consumption.
Try with: Game such as pheasant, duck and venison. Also full flavoured hearty meat dishes, poultry and tasty cheese.

TASTING NOTE : Bright, pale straw colour. Perfumed nose of ripe pear, tropical fruit, followed by a hint of lychee and musk. The palate flavours are delicate, with subtle layers of tropical fruit and lychee emerging. Soft acid finish, followed by a delicate pear after taste. Drink (2003)
Alc/Vol 13%

RATING 89/100

VALUE XXX/5