The Elena Walch 2019 Alto Adige Chardonnay Riserva Vigna Castel Ringberg opens to a brilliant golden hue with hints of pale green. Orchard fruit, Golden Delicious apple and peach cede to pie crust, light vanilla and poached pear. This mid-weight white offers nice acidity with a tonic, lively personality. Production is limited to a mere 2,000 bottles.

With just 2,000 bottles released, the Elena Walch 2018 Alto Adige Chardonnay Riserva Vigna Castel Ringberg is the sort of elegant Chardonnay that would make a lasting impression with a delicate dish of trout or salmon. Opening to a light, straw-gold color, this three-year-old white is not at all overdone. In fact, this is the very portrait of a poised Chardonnay that has aged quite well, if only slightly. It shows a very nice mineral profile and great definition. This may be the best Chardonnay from the Castel Ringberg vineyard yet.

The Elena Walch 2017 Alto Adige Chardonnay Riserva Vigna Castel Ringberg is a mid-weight white wine with toasty spice and ripe fruit on the expressive and well-articulated bouquet. This pretty wine offers warm-vintage aromas of orchard fruit, apricot, orange peel and candied almond. The wine is layered and rich with enough fruity fiber to pair with steamed New England lobster with butter and sage. Sadly, a mere 2,000 bottles were released, so availability could be an issue.

The 2013 Alto Adige Chardonnay Riserva Castel Ringberg is a beautiful and age-worthy white wine. This is a pristine expression of Chardonnay with thick lines and a rich consistency. It's a modern and fruit-forward expression that boasts extra intensity both in terms of bouquet and mouthfeel. The wine bursts open with peach cobbler, saffron, toasted nut and candied orange peel. This Chardonnay's thick texture wraps generously over the palate.

The 2011 Alto Adige Chardonnay Riserva Castel Ringberg is an absolutely counterintuitive wine. In a nutshell, it fits all the canons of an “oaky chard.” As banal as that may sound, this is actually a rare feat for an Italian wine, no less a wine from the cool climate Dolomites, where less obvious stylistic expression reigns supreme. Buttery notes of toasted almond and baked peach underpin sweet spice and exotic fruit. Allier barrique is used in full force and the wine sits on its lees for ten months growing in intensity and texture. Mineral notes and fresh acidity complete the picture.