“Epokale” Gewürztraminer Spätlese Alto Adige DOC 2017 dolce · 0,75l in OWC

Kellerei Tramin | Cantina Termeno | South Tyrol
Kellerei Tramin | Weinstrasse 144 | IT 39040 Termeno

01091717 · 0,75 l · 532,00 €/l · Price (DE) incl. VAT, excl. Shipping5 units available
Limitation of 1 articles per customer

Four kilometres deep inside the mountain, 450 metres below the surface, in absolute darkness: here, in the disused silver mine of Ridanna Monteneve at an altitude of over 2,000 metres, a silent metamorphosis is taking place. For seven years, 2,150 bottles of Epokale rest at a constant 11 degrees and 90 per cent humidity – an ageing process that pays homage to a bygone era when sweet Gewürztraminer late harvests were still the kings of Alpine wine culture. The name says it all: Epokale – epochal. The 2009 vintage made history as the first Italian white wine to be awarded 100 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate. What Willi Stürz, cellar master and technical director of Cantina Tramin for 35 years, has empirically observed over decades was recently confirmed by a scientific study by the Fondazione Mach: Gewürztraminer is one of the few white wines in the world that not only preserves itself, but also potentiates and refines itself over twenty years. Monoterpenes – the flavouring substances that produce roses, nutmeg, mango and lychee – are slowly released over the years in enzymatic processes that give the wine ever new facets.

The 2017 vintage comes from two ancient Gewürztraminer vineyards at the Nussbaumerhof in Tramin, on limestone gravel and loam over porphyry subsoil. Slightly overripe grapes, harvested in late October, four weeks of fermentation at 18 degrees, eight months on the lees in steel tanks – then the journey to the mine, where silence and cold complete their work. The glass is an intense golden yellow colour. The nose explodes: Rose petals, lavender, ripe mango, lychee, passion fruit, honeydew melon – then cloves, saffron, ginger, nutmeg, sage. Monumental depth unfolds on the palate: powerful yet graceful, carried by mineral tension. 66 grams of residual sugar are counterbalanced by lively acidity, the final is endless. A wine that ennobles apple strudel, caresses Taleggio, but also wants to be meditated on its own – a white monument from the depths of the Alps. SUPERIORE.DE

"Intense, rich light gold colour with a sparkling core. Strong and intensely fragrant nose of rose petals, ripe yellow peach, some banana, nutmeg, milk chocolate, with an aftertaste of dried apricots and coconut flakes. Beautifully balanced on the palate, with a radiant sweet core, savoury melting, elegant creaminess and enormous length." Falstaff

"An intense wine. White roses are enhanced by peaches, apricot juice and bittersweet depth. Very exotic and sweet with an oily texture and flavours of orange marmalade." James Suckling

"It's always such a treat to taste this special wine that ages in bottle underground at the back of an abandoned mine for seven long years. The 2017 Gewürztraminer Spätlese Epokale opens to a luminous golden shine with aromas of sponge cake, soft honey, white flower and beeswax. On second nose, you recognize spicy hints of ginger and white licorice. This is a full-bodied semi-sweet wine with a thick, glossy texture. Fruit comes from a one-hectare plot planted on calcareous gravel and clay over a base of porphyry rock. This winery has made excellence in Gewürztraminer its mission in life. Sadly, only 2,150 bottles were created." Wine Advocate