Chardonnay 2011

"The internationally successful Chardonnay grape is now a standard item in the vineyards of Terlano, too. As both a cuvée and a varietal, it regularly produces highly versatile wines with a pleasing freshness and a very attractive tropical fruit component."
Rudi Kofler

More vintages available

Wine

  • Doc denomination: Alto Adige
  • Variety: 100% Chardonnay
  • History of the variety: first vintage 1985
  • Year: 2011
  • Bottles produced: 60,000
  • Yield: 63 hl/ha
  • Quality line: The classics

Vinification

  • Description:

    Manual harvest and selection of the grapes; gentle whole cluster pressing and clarification of the must by natural sedimentation; slow fermentation at a controlled temperature in stainless steel tanks, aging on the lees in steel tanks for 5-7 months.

  • Bottling date: 2012-01-15

Production area

  • Name: Terlano
  • Municipality: Terlano
  • Altitude: 250 - 500 m a. s. l.
  • Slope: 5 - 35 %
  • Orientation: South - Southwest

Wine character

  • Color: brilliant light straw yellow
  • Smell: The aroma of this Chardonnay releases exotic fruity impressions with nuances of banana, quince, passion fruit, mango and sugar melon plus a hint of lemon balm.
  • Taste: A touch of pear gives the Chardonnay a mouthfeel that is very soft and harmonious combined with sweetish exotic fruit components. Its slightly mineral note makes this wine very smooth and adds an intriguing contrast.

Simple pairings

Ideal with a plateau de fruits de mer with raw prawns and langoustines; vegetable risotto and cream of root vegetable soups (potato, cream of celeriac); dishes with a mildly tangy cheese (e.g. a soft Robiola) including cheese dumplings and pasta dishes with cheese; also sea bass in salt or veal paillard.

  • Vintage

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    • The climatic conditions we experienced in 2011 presented us with considerable challenges. That is because especially in the case of wines produced in years characterized by extreme weather conditions, the points in time of harvesting is of utmost importance and must be decided on by each vineyard individually.
      After an extraordinarily warm and dry April and a summery May, there followed a June with average temperatures and considerable percipitation. The very mild spring resulted in sprouting about a week earlier than usual.
      "As a consequence of the ideal autumn weather, too, this vintage can be regarded as 'good' to 'very good'," according to enologist Rudi Kofler.

  • Soil

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    • Terlano is a wine-growing village located halfway between South Tyrol’s main towns of Merano and Bolzano where the Adige flows through a wide valley in a south-easterly direction. The village and vineyards nestle against the red porphyry rock of Monte Tschöggl on the orographically left side of the valley.

      With sites located at elevations between 250 and 900 meters above sea-level, choosing the right variety is a challenge. The lower sites are better suited to Lagrein, Cabernet and other heavy reds, while Pinot Noir and the white wines are more at home at the higher and therefore cooler levels.

      Soils: sandy-stony, well-drained soils
      Site area: 150 ha
      Vine age: 8-60 years
      Vine density: 3,500-7,000
      Yield: 42-63 hl/ha
      Number of vintners: 130

  • Climate

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    • The high peaks of the main Alpine chain protect South Tyrol from the Atlantic winds and cold northerlies, while the region benefits from the Mediterranean climate from the south. That explains the pronounced differences between day- and night-time temperatures, which are the key to full maturity and elegant wines.

      To the south, a number of mountain massifs like the Adamello also have a protective function. As a result, annual precipitation is only about one third of the average for the southern Alpine foothills, and the number of hours of sunshine is higher. The climatic conditions are not unlike those to be found in wine-growing areas like the Swiss Canton Valais.

      When the sun rises behind the mountains east of Terlano on one of the year’s 300 sunny days, it is already high in the sky as the wine-growing area has a westerly to south westerly exposure. The lower atmospheric density permits more direct solar irradiation with less diffuse sunlight. That increases the difference between the slopes on the sunny and shady sides of the valley.

      Microclimate in Terlano
      Continental climate (Cfa Köppen-Geiger)

      Annual sunshine hours: ø 2135
      Maximum temperatures: 36,7 °C
      Average temperatures: 12,9 °C
      Minimum temperatures: -10,7°C
      Annual percipitation: ø 558 mm
      Average global radiation: 150,1 W/m²
      Winds:
      - North foehn: cool and dry down-slope wind
      - Ora: valley wind system from the south, bringing in air from the Po Valley

Chardonnay

Prizes

  • Le guide de L'Espresso - I Vini d'Italia 2013: 2 bottles
  • I Vini di Veronelli 2013: 2 stars
  • Gambero Rosso - Vini d'Italia 2013: 2 black glasses
  • Duemilavini/Bibenda 2013: 4 grapes

Technical data

  • Alcohol content: 13.5 % vol
  • Residual sugar: 3.0 g/l
  • Acidity: 5.7 g/l

Aging

  • Storage advice: Cool storage at constant temperatures, high level of humidity, good ventilation and as little light as possible
  • Cellar temperature: 10 - 15 °C
  • Minimum maturity: 1 years
  • Serving temperature: 10 - 12 °C

Suggested glass

Glass for a young white wine

Glass for a young white wine