Pinot Nero from the far north of Italy, made by the Augustinian canons of Abbazia di Novacella in the Eisack valley, where the Alps drop into Alto Adige. The abbey has been pressing wine since the 12th century, and the vineyards sit among the highest in Europe.
- Pinot Nero, known elsewhere as Pinot Noir.
- Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy's northern Alpine belt.
- 2013, a cool, late-ripening vintage.
- Light body, high acidity, medium tannin.
- 13.5% alcohol, dry.
How it is made
Pinot Nero is a thin-skinned, difficult grape that ripens early and loses its nerve in heat. In the Alto Adige it gets long, cool days and cold nights, which keep the acidity sharp and the fruit red rather than black. The abbey's cellars work with fruit from estate vineyards and grower partners across the valley.
How it tastes
Red cherry and cranberry, then alpine herbs and a damp, earthy undertow. The tannins are silky and the body light, with the high acidity carrying it through a long, clean finish. A decade in bottle has softened the fruit into something more savoury.
Where it comes from
The Eisack valley runs north of Bolzano toward the Brenner Pass, one of the oldest wine routes over the Alps. Abbazia di Novacella is a working Augustinian monastery, and the canons have grown and made wine here since the 12th century, making it one of the oldest continuously operating wine estates in the world.
Good to know
Alto Adige is a bilingual province, German-speaking in the north and Italian in the south, and the wines carry both traditions. Pinot Nero is the region's most planted red grape, and it grows here at altitudes that would be unthinkable in Burgundy.
Contains alcohol.
