Speaking of sensibly priced Pinot Noir, when was the last time you looked for one from Alto Adige? This region, snuggled against the Austrian border in northern Italy, might not be top-of-mind for most Pinot Noir hunters, but perhaps that’s changing. In fact, if it has been 10 or 15 years since you last tasted one, you may have an impression of Tyrolean Pinot that no longer exists.
Alto Adige is at the tip of the spear when it comes to wine and climate change.
Pinot Noir has been cultivated in Alto Adige for at least 150 years, but the most recent chapter in that history has been defined by the accelerating temperatures of climate change, which are clipping along at a more accelerated pace across the Alps. This has had huge ramifications for Pinot Noir. The lean, threadbare and tart versions of the past have morphed to better resemble Pinot Noir’s counterparts in places like Alsace, New Zealand and even parts of California. There is now more ripeness, more structure and certainly more alcohol, although at the moment, I think it is a manageable increase. (Many that I’ve tasted in recent years have been in the acceptable 13%-14% ABV range).
Alto Adige is at the tip of the spear when it comes to wine and climate change. Vineyard sites are highly dependent on elevation, with the white grapes staking out the higher slopes, the red grapes the valley floor and lower elevations. Yet with the rapid changes, producers are trying to keep pace by either planting at high elevations or swapping out varieties within existing plots by bringing lower-altitude grapes up. So if a high-elevation site used to be ideal for Sauvignon Blanc, it is now better suited to Riesling, while that Riesling plot might now be better planted to Pinot Noir.
It used to be that only the single-vineyard Pinot Noir of the region — like Alois Lager’s Krafuss — offered anything resembling intrigue, but now it is refreshing to see the entry-level wines come up to speed. Whether this is tied to climate, better planting, better vineyard practices, or a combination of all these factors, I haven’t been able to deduce just yet, but something is clearly happening to benefit entry-level Alto Adige Pinot Noir across the board. This wine from Rottensteiner is a good example of the phenomenon: it still has the lightness of weight, but the spine seems firmer, the fruit seems juicier than before and now there is an earthy character that I’ve not detected before from the region’s entry-level Pinot Noir.
Combine this with the very fair price point ($24), and I think you have an intriguing Pinot Noir to backfill your wine rack.
What will happen to Pinot Noir in Alto Adige down the road is anybody’s guess. This grape can easily turn hefty and dull when its alcohol levels crest the upper reaches of 14% ABV. Thankfully, there is still some runway before we get there in Alto Adige, and the community of winemakers there is among the most technically minded and precise. I think now is an exciting time to go red in Alto Adige.
2022 Rottensteiner Südtirol/Alto Adige Pinot Noir
Südtirol / Alto Adige DOC (Alto Adige )
Grapes: Pinot Noir (100%)
Alcohol: 13.5%
Opinion: ★★★★ 1/2
Food-friendliness: Impeccable
Value: Exceptional
A beginner might like … tasting more Pinot Noir from Alto Adige. One of the world’s most terroir-transparent grapes has some interesting interpretations of this Italian alpine climate. Rottensteiner is just the beginning. Also look for Alois Lageder, Pfitscher, Girlan, Castelfeder and Franz Haas.
A wine obsessive might like … the mountain fruit. This isn’t necessarily a Pinot Noir to fawn over as if it were Musigny. But that’s beside the point. For all its red fruit flavor and the tinge of Pinot earthiness, this wine reads more like its mountain origins than as a varietal. It carries a certain stoicism that only comes from places like the Alps, and at $24 retail, it is an intriguing half-case buy for its functionality and versatility.
Note: This wine was provided as a sample by Wines of Alto Adige. Learn more about our editorial policy regarding samples.
