Lageder Pinot Nero Krafuss 2007

Why have I ranked this wine as a “5” in our adventurousness rankings? Because who would think of Pinot Noir from Alto-Adige? Not me; and at this premium price? Ooh, would we be wrong. When early on I was sampled on New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc; I was blown away. A great fan of this varietal, I was stunned by its uniqueness; Sauvignon Blanc from no other region of the world tasted like this.* So too with Tenutae Lageder’s Pinot Noir from northern Italy.

The colour is old style Burgundy; light but persistent. What amazed me then and now about wines of this colour is they don’t age so dramatically, it will look like this 10 years on. The aromas are only idiosyncratically Pinot Noir. As it opens in an appropriate glass it brings me back to my youth. I grew up on America’s Great Plains where, even in my youth, many farms had been sold, the houses and out buildings abandoned. My cousin, Gene, and I hunted rabbits in the wood lots of these abandoned homesteads and most always toured the empty houses. Upon entering and especially upon opening cupboards and kitchen drawers, aromas of spices and dried foods changed the structure from a house to a home; inhabited by people who lived by the fruits of their labours on this very land. These are iterations on Pinot Noir that this vineyard takes for its own.

Verbosity is one of my faults. Let me stop writing then even though there is so much more to be said about Lageder Pinot Nero Krafuss 2007. Can you be motivated to share this marvelous and unique expression of Pinot Noir if I simply say that I have been willingly seduced by this wine and will never miss another vintage?
Wine review by LAC. 2/4/2011

Food Pairings

Roasted birds are a preternatural match but Pinot Noir goes with any number of dishes ranging from those incorporating wild game and foraged mushrooms to veal stews or grilled fleshy fish. For a classic cheese pairing hunt down some Epoisse...