This is the finest expression of late-harvest Gewürztraminer I have tasted from Italy—and the first Robert Parker 100-point wine from Alto Adige. The 2009 Alto Adige Gewürztraminer Spätlese Epokale is an explosive wine from all points of view, including color intensity, bouquet brightness and mouthfeel texture. This precious bottle has been aged four kilometers into an old mine cave called Ridanna Monteneve at 2,000 meters above sea level for nine long years. The temperature remains constant all year round at 11 degrees Celsius (52 degrees Fahrenheit) with 90% humidity. I wouldn't mind being locked in that cave overnight with these wines (with a few chunks of mountain cheese and dried speck). Only 1,200 bottles were produced in 2009. Late-harvest fruit resulted in 107 grams of residual sugar per liter, shaping a wine that is creamy and rich but never cloying or too heavy. Gorgeous tones of dried apricot, honey, wild sage, spicy saffron and yellow rose lift gracefully from the bouquet. Subtle mineral tones add sharpness and focus. However, my 100 points comes with a few caveats. The first is that I preview tasted the upcoming 2010 vintage, and although it offers similar elegance, the newer vintage is nowhere near this intensity. This vintage stands so tall, it's hard to imagine a repeat performance. A second consideration is this: Epokale ages in a cave for nine years, and that means that the next nine editions of the wine are already completed from a winemaking point of view. Let's hope a few more are as excellent as this.
Published: Aug 31, 2018
