Sports teams like the New York Yankees, L.A. Lakers, Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Montreal Canadians are all hallowed franchises that are revered for their long-term success. But part of the reverence is based on the reporting of their achievements via the media. If you win a championship in the forest and nobody hears about it… well you get the drift. There are long running, highly accomplished entities in the wine business as well. Producers like Lafite Rothschild in Bordeaux, Opus One in Napa Valley, and the like, are famous because they have histories of great work, but equally because people have been told they were good.
Today’s producer has been working on a very high level for a long time, but isn’t as appropriately famous because Alto Adige doesn’t get anywhere near the media attention that, say, Bordeaux and Napa Valley do. But in their little world in northeastern Italy, Cantina Terlano is a serious performer who consistently makes spectacular wines. We have been following Terlano for a long time. Admittedly we have a soft spot for the region and the precise, well defined, racy, riveting wines from the region from the likes of Terlano, Valle Isarco, Nals Margreid, and Elena Walch. These can be some of the most compelling whites in the world in exceptional vintages, and the fresh arrivals from 2017 offer a fantastic opportunity for us to talk about this ‘champion’ producer.
In the world of wine, the story of Cantina Terlano is definitely somewhat unique. Terlano was founded as a co-operative in 1893. It is made up of 143 growers that work approximately 170 hectares of vineyards. The winery’s homepage very modestly describes Terlano as one of the leading co-operatives in the Sud-Tyrol region. We’d take that several steps forward and suggest it is one of the most successful cooperative wineries in the world, to be favorably compared with Produttori del Barbaresco in Piedmont and Domäne Wachau in Austria. These folks are among the elite of their field.
We were wowed by their new arrivals from the 2017 vintage, a harvest with which we haven’t had a lot of experience yet. If these are any indication, 2017 was another banner year in the region and also one that will speak to a broader range of palates. The 2016s were quite special to be sure. But the intense acidity, normally a part of their makeup in this cooler, elevated growing region, might have been a tad too powerful for some consumers. The 2017s are just as impressive but also are dialed back just a touch which makes their vigorous fruit component more giving. In short, the 2016s were a great but powerful vintage, and the 2017s look to be at the same level of quality, but a bit more user-friendly. Good times.
We’ve picked out three offerings from what we like to refer to as one of the superstars of the ‘German’ part of Italy. These are riveting, impactful whites and outstanding representatives of not only this house, but the region as a whole. The winery makes a number of wines, some of which reach into the $50-60 range. But we feel this trio is so good that it will make our point quite handily, and way over-deliver for their respective prices. These are driving, ‘naked’ wines that express the pristine terroir from which they come. If the farming isn’t right, there are no cellar tricks you can to fix them. These folks have it down to a science in the vineyard and, while they have wines that offer the opportunity to spend more, there isn’t necessarily a reason to do so. These play at a high level.
The Terlano Terlaner Classico Alto Adige 2017 is a great place to start, and this blended white dates back to the beginning in 1893. This is a blend of 60% Pinot Bianco, 30% Chardonnay and 10% Sauvignon Blanc that sees 5-7 months on the lees, 80% in stainless steel and 20% in large, probably neutral oak. The edges are polished and honed with nothing sticking out, and it shows plenty of deceptive power to the palate. You’ve got a variety of subtle flavors from white stone fruits to passion fruit to roasted grain with highlights of white pepper, wild herbs and a streak of minerality. This lifts and brightens as it hits the palate, and delivers plenty of punch. A 92 from Advocate in 2016, the 2017 is playing at the same level (we had them two days apart) as an authoritative quaff or versatile food choice.
The Terlano Sauvignon Blanc Winkl Alto Adige 2017 is a favorite around here as well. A 100% Sauvignon Blanc that dates back to 1956 is made the same way as the Terlaner. It is gentle and supple on the palate but sits nicely atop well-integrated, ripe acidity. Again stone fruits with faint suggestions of honey play against ripe grapefruit, sage, and mineral tones. Monica Larner, Wine Advocate’s Italian specialist, calls it one of her absolute favorite Italian whites. We definitely get that. This has texture and suppleness, but finishes with a dash of mouth-watering zing.
The Terlano Pinot Grigio Alto Adige 2017 is no ordinary Pinot Grigio. While the genre in general gets bagged on because there are so many banal, uninspired versions out there, this one has the kind of size, fruit and ‘pop’ that will get your attention and possibly frighten those who are patrons of those typical commercial examples. This one is clean, insistent, and deceptively powerful for what it is. The flavors have elements of stone fruit, grain, white peach and passion fruit with a fleck of wild herb. This is a Pinot Grigio with substance and one heck of a value.
These riveting whites belong in everyone’s conscience as well as everyone’s cellar. Fans of the genre know these for what they are, one of the best of the genre and world-class whites by any measure. If you don’t know Terlano, it’s high time you did!