This wine celebrates the 125th anniversary (1893-2018) of this cooperative winery. The 2017 Alto Adige Lagrein Rubeno is a full-throttle red that is powered by the heat and the sunshine of this vintage. The effect is a little overdone for my tastes, with bitter cherry and tart plum. And the background shows some astringency. I would suggest a shorter drinking window. Some 50,000 bottles were produced.

The 2015 Alto Adige Lagrein Rubeno is redolent of primary fruit aromas with dark cherry and blackberry preserves on prominent display. The wine is zesty and fresh with thick texture and dark fruit flavors that are soft and slightly sweet. This is a simple red wine but a balanced one. It sees six months in large oak casks.

Made mostly in stainless steel (with just six months in botte grande), the 2012 Alto Adige Lagrein Rubeno delivers a very clean and simple interpretation of this plump and juicy Northern Italian grape. Fleshy layers of blackberry and sweet cherry blanket the palate, offering soft chewy texture. The wine is simple and easy with an upfront and generous approach.