Tenuta Kornell Kressfeld Sudtiroler Merlot Riserva, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy

科內(nèi)爾酒莊克雷斯菲爾德·蘇蒂羅爾珍藏梅洛紅葡萄酒

點(diǎn)擊次數(shù)：462

The estate's top-shelf red is the Kornell 2017 Alto Adige Merlot Riserva Vigna Kressfeld. This is a generous wine that is fleshed out in terms of volume and deeply layered with dark fruit and spice. The warm 2017 vintage underlines the wine's baked fruit intensity, yet the alcohol content remains a relatively contained 13.5%. Merlot grapes are harvested from a site with unique soils made from disintegrated porphyry volcanic rock. The wine is fermented in tonneaux and aged in barrique for 18 months. Only 2,000 bottles exist.

A limited release of 2,500 bottles, the Kornell 2016 Alto Adige Merlot Riserva Vigna Kressfeld has been smoothed and softened by years of aging in bottle. This wine opens a window onto the most delicate and downplayed side of the sometimes exuberant Merlot grape. The volume has been taken down quite a few notches here, from an allegro vivace symphony to a soft, hummed melody. Wild berry and cherry segue to iron ore, baked clay and dried orange peel. This precious Merlot deserves the time required for a slow-cooked brisket.

The Kornell 2015 Alto Adige Merlot Riserva Vigna Kressfeld is a perfumed and graceful expression that focuses heavily on blue flower with cherry and wild rose. The natural aromas of the grape are beautifully transformed by the fresh and cool growing conditions of the Italian Dolomites. Those perfumes are uplifting and bright. The wine shows some phenolic tightness or bitterness in the mouth that helps to build the intensity of this mid-weight red. It is fermented in oak for 25 days and ages in barrique for up to 18 months. Production is very small, with only 2,500 bottles made, but this corresponds to the tiny size of the Kressfeld vineyard, which measures a little more than half a hectare.

The 2006 Merlot Riserva emerges with pretty scents of cedar, tobacco, plums and prunes in a medium- bodied style. This bottling shows fine length and balance but not quite the pedigree to support extended bottle age. I am of the opinion that the estate does best with their simpler wines. The raw materials are clearly high quality, though. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2016. These new releases from Kornell are delicious. Broadly speaking, the entry-level wines are more interesting than some of the higher-end bottlings. The estate is clearly producing top quality fruit, the next challenge is to capture that quality in bottle. No American importer.