Pfischer Pinot Nero Fuchsleiten 2016

Captivating, radiant and coy all at once.

Luminous, garnet colour.

Refined aromas revealing an understated complexity with raspberry, blackberry, wild strawberries, floral and earthy tones with hints of smoked wood.

On the palate a light body with high acidity, smooth, silky tannins and a smokey finish showing great ageing potential.

Food pairings:

Although it’s a red wine, this Pinot Noir has a light body and fresh flavour making it also a good pair for white meat and possibly even some fish dishes. Some examples include: cordon bleu, grilled octopus with chick peas, black truffle risotto.

Tenuta Pfischer is located in the region of Alto Adige, in the most northern part of Italy bordering Austria. The vineyards are planted on steep slopes between 500 and 700 metres above sea level, positioning the grapes within a cool climate with the necessary sun exposure as well as changes in temperature between night and day, conditions which allow the grapes to develop and mature slowly. After harvest, they grapes are fermented for 10-14 days in stainless steel and aged in oak barrels.

The seven generation family owned winery is focused on producing “unadulterated, clean, authentic wine” and clearly not intimidated by the hard physical work needed to tend the vineyards on such a steep slant, they even seem proud of it. The winery was also the first to be certified by Casaclima wine for their sustainable farming practices.

Pinot Noir is notoriously one of the most difficult grapes to cultivate and is affected by terroir more than any other varietal. This varietal needs poor soils with excellent drainage so that the plant has to work hard to find nutrients and water, producing smaller, more compact fruit but with higher quality. However, the compact grape clusters are more susceptible to diseases such as rot, so winemakers have to follow the plants closely to ensure they stay healthy. The thin, black skinned grapes have less phenolic components than other grapes, translating into wines with less concentrated colour and less tannins, but also possibly less aromas. If that wasn’t enough, Pinot Noir grapes bud and ripen earlier than most other grapes. These factors make a cool climate essential in order to allow the grapes time to mature and develop fully.

Pinot Noir originated in Burgundy, France but is now grown in many regions around the world. These include Northern Italy, Germany, Oregon, California, New Zealand and even Argentina. As a general rule, the cooler the climate, the more elegant and earthy this wine, the warmer the climate, the more fruit forward.

The challange of growing the grapes alone makes finding an excellent Pinot Noir truly special, so it’s no wonder why so many winemakers and enthusiasts are so ardently passionate about this wine.

“The most romantic of wines, with so voluptuous a perfume, so sweet and edge, and so powerful a punch that, like falling in love, they make the blood run hot and the soul wax embarrassingly poetic.”

-Joel Fleschman, Vanity Fair