With inky concentration, the 2018 Alto Adige Lagrein Gries Riserva Berger Gei feels ripe and heavy on the palate with dark plum and dried blackberry. With a little time in the glass, the wine shows black olive and tarry smoke, and there is sweetness here too, with barbecue spice. Some 7,500 bottles were released.

This is one of the nicest Lagreins on the market today, and the warm conditions of the 2017 vintage make it that much more enjoyable and accessible. The 2017 Alto Adige Lagrein Gries Riserva Berger Gei shows thickness and dark concentration with dark plummy fruit and plenty of mature blackberry and summer cherry. The wine is inky and thick with a supple entry to the palate. It offers a contained 14% alcohol content. About 7,000 bottles were released.

The Ignaz Niedrist 2016 Alto Adige Lagrein Gries Riserva Berger Gei pours forth with a super inky, dark and impenetrable appearance. The wine is redolent of dried blackberry and plum, with cherry skin and black currant. Those black fruit nuances cede to smoked mahogany and barbecue spice. However, this wine hails from the cool climate of the Italian Dolomites, so despite its darkness and considerable richness, it maintains a natural sense of balance and sharpness all the while. It has enough inner energy to avoid any sensations of heaviness or flatness. Lagrein is always a bit of an acquired taste, but this lovely expression (with 7,000 bottles produced) does show unique typicity and local character. The Berger Gei vineyard site is located at 250 meters above sea level with a mix of gravel, sand and igneous porphyry stone. These vines are planted in the traditional overhead pergola system that is commonly used in these mountains.

The 2015 Alto Adige Lagrein Gries Riserva Berger Gei is a dark and savory expression with medium to full-bodied appeal. The wine is ultimately thicker and more concentred in terms of its aromatic intensity than it is in terms of mouthfeel intensity. This is absolutely characteristic of the Lagrein grape that tends to be powerful in terms of its fruit offerings but moderate in terms of tannic structure. These qualities give the wine an accessible, near or medium-term approach that would work well with soft meat dishes such as spicy pork or Peking Duck. Some 6,000 bottles were made.

The 2009 Lagrein Berger Gei is a big wine endowed with considerable muscle in its dark red fruit, earthiness, leather and licorice. The 2009 is a bit of a stylistic departure for Niedrist. The wine shows less French oak influence, which allows the fruit to show the full breadth of its sumptuous personality. I especially like the harmony and opulence of the finish. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2019. I have long been a fan of Niedrist’s Lagrein, but this year I was impressed with the entire range. These gorgeous wines deserve serious attention. Importers: Petit Pois, Moorestown, NJ; tel. (856) 608-9644, Oliver McCrum Wines, Oakland, CA; tel. (510) 654-9159