The 2007 Lagrein Riserva Taber offers up dark fruit, herbs, minerals, tar, smoke, licorice and French oak in a powerful, structured style. This is a supremely elegant, silky Lagrein endowed with tons of personality and class. Stylistically, the Taber is less in-your-face than the Greiser Prestige Line, but it offers more finesse, elegance and minerality. The oak seems to have come down from recent vintages as well. The Taber is a beautiful, reference-point Lagrein. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2017. St. Magdalena remains a great source for plump, juicy Lagreins.Importer: WorldWine Cellars, Minneapolis, MN; tel. (612) 281-6607

The 2006 Lagrein Grieser Prestige Riserva is a beautiful, intense Lagrein loaded with dark blackberries, blueberries, earthiness and toasted oak. The wine needs some time in the glass for the rough edges to soften, but this is beautiful and engaging Lagrein in every way. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2016. St. Magdalena is a bit unique among Alto Adige producers as it excels with its reds, while the whites remain good but not memorable. That said, I didn’t find the 2006 Lagreins here quite as compelling as the 2005s.Importer: Summa Vitis, Inc. Sonoma, CA; tel (707) 933-0907

What can I say about the estate’s 2005 Lagrein Riserva Taber? Simply put, it is superb. Boasting an opaque violet color, it explodes from the glass with a compelling array of dark, jammy fruit, spices, chocolate, black pepper and toasted oak in a full-throttle, concentrated expression of Lagrein and Gries terroir. It reveals a masterful use of oak, awesome purity and notable depth although another 6-12 months of bottle age will help the wine come together even more beautifully. It is one of Italy’s great, and all too often overlooked, wines. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2015. The Cantina Produttori Bolzano is a large cooperative that was born in 2001 when the Santa Magdalena and the Kellerei Gries wineries joined forces. The wines are still labeled under the two separate labels, which is how I have listed them here. Oenologist Stephan Filippi oversees the estate’s large production. The highlights among current releases are without doubt the top reds, especially the Lagrein Taber which is a reference-point wine for the zone. If I could only have one Lagrein, it would without question be St. Magdalena’s Lagrein Riserva Taber.Importer: Summa Vitis, Inc. Sonoma, CA; tel (707) 933-0907

The 2004 Lagrein Riserva Taber is equally impressive. This sweet, supple wine offers outstanding elegance in its expression of blueberry jam, smoke, spices and minerals. It is powerful yet elegant, deeply flavored but also understated. In short, it is the reference point for the zone. 2007-2014. The Cantina Produttori Bolzano is a large cooperative that was born in 2001 when the Santa Magdalena and the Kellerei Gries wineries joined forces. The wines are still labeled under the two separate labels, which is how I have listed them here. Oenologist Stephan Filippi oversees the estate’s large production. The highlights among current releases are without doubt the top reds, especially the Lagrein Taber which is a reference-point wine for the zone. If I could only have one Lagrein, it would without question be St. Magdalena’s Lagrein Riserva Taber.Importer: Summa Vitis, Inc. Sonoma, CA; tel (707) 933-0907

The 2001 Lagrein Riserva Taberhof is made in a style which emphasizes elegance and shape with much berry fruit and minerality on the nose, solid but supple flavors, and lightly applied notes of vanilla and caramel which keep the earthiness of the variety under control. Drink: 2004-2012.