Peter Pliger, proprietor and winemaker at this tiny property (only about 2,500 cases are produced annually), is considered to be a pace-setter for the Val d'Isarco region, which is located in the normally cooler northern portion of Suedtirol.
His organically cultivated vines exhibit an aromatic profile and stony minerality that differ from those grown just north or south of his property and are expressive of a unique terroir.
Biologically responsible farming is essential, Pliger asserts, if the microflora in the soil are to properly convert the various mineral elements into the soluble form needed by the vines.
2008
I was very impressed with the wines I tasted this year from Kuenhof, a small estate located in Bressanone, in the northern reaches of Alto Adige. I am told the US allocation of these wines is just a few cases, but hopefully readers elsewhere will be able to latch on to a few bottles of these wonderful whites.
92 |
The 2008 Sylvaner is one of the more generous wines in this line-up. The fruit is quite soft, yet the iwne retains the clarity and focus that is found in all of the Kuenhof wines. The Sylvaner captures a superb balance of aromatic complexity, soft fruit, persistence and lively minerality. It is another wonderful effort from Kuenhof. Antipicated maturity: 2009-2012.
- www.eRobertParker.com
2005
* * $ $ $ |
"This gripping white is crafted at a small farmstead in the South Tyrol, a region that's geopraphically part of Italy but Austrian in spirit. While Sylvaner is not quite as aromatically exotic as Riesling, this wine has a great, clean wet-stone minerality."
- Food & Wine, Wine Guide 2009
2002
91 |
Yellow-gold. Lovely floral bouquet. Intense apple and white peach on the palate, very focused thanks to a firm acid grip. Smooth and harmonious wine, becoming honeyed on the finish, with a counter-current of stone, smoky wood embers, and chalky minerality.
2001
90 |
Pale gold. Appealing floral scents on the nose. On the palate, the wine offers the very essence of freshly cut apple, sappy yet very smooth, and complemented by layers of citrus and topical fruits. An undercurrent of chalk and woodsmoke lingers on the palate, giving this elegant wine an added sense of stucture.These are wonderful wines; refined and elegant, with some of the textural richness of Pinot Noir.
- International Wine Cellar, July/August 2004, Issue 115
JK IMPORTS
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E-mail: james@jkimports.com
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