Cantina di Terlano Pinot Bianco Riserva "Vorberg" DOC 2022
(Trentino Alto Adige, Italy) - [OC 98] [DM 96] [WA 95+] [JS 94] [WE 94] [VM 93]

About the Winery:
Founded in 1893, the Cantina Terlano winery is now one of the leading wine growers’ cooperatives in South Tyrol, with a current membership of 143 growers working a total area of 190 hectares. That is the equivalent of some 1.5 million bottles of wine a year. We and our members have long had a strong focus on quality. That has attracted praise and recognition on the Italian and international wine markets, and in spite of its relatively small size, Cantina Terlano is now well established in the world of wine.

Tasting Notes:
Smell: The multifaceted aroma of this wine derives from a combination of ripe fruit, including honeydew melon, white peach, pear and Golden Delicious apple, together with the aromas of quince jelly, camomile and pineapple, on the one hand, and mineral notes of flint on the other.
Taste: The interplay of fruity aromatic and salty components is repeated on the palate. The compact structure and  elegant creamy elements create a lingering, firmly minerally and spicy character on the aftertaste.

Vinification: Manual harvest and selection of the grapes; gentle whole cluster pressing and clarification of the must by natural sedimentation; slow fermentation at a controlled temperature in big oak barrels (70 + 30 hl); malolactic fermentation and aging on the lees in traditional wooden barrels for 12 months.

Soils:

~The quartz porphyry bedrock is of volcanic origin.
~The light, sandy-loamy soils are the foundation for naturally limited yields.
~The soils have a 55-60% quartz content and a slightly acidic pH.
~The minerally and distinctive wines are highly prized for their outstanding longevity.
Soil samples taken from three different sites have revealed the presence of a subvolcanic body around Terlano, which differs in composition from the classic volcanic rock. The skeletal sandy loamy soils have a high quartz content. The absence of calcium carbonate explains the slightly acid pH values. These factors result in a high permeability to water, a limited nutrient supply and thus balanced growth with naturally limited yields. Exceptional soil conditions influence the terroir of Terlano, where the vines have developed a specific reaction to micro-stress and produce their own terroir-specific polyphenols, which give the Terlano wines their distinctive character. The result is particularly salty wines with great tension and depth. The special mix of crystals and minerals in the Terlano soils produces white wines whose unique longevity never fails to impress the world’s wine gurus.

Winemaker Notes:
"The south-facing slopes of Monzoccolo in the Terlano DOC area are the location of steep and sunny vineyards at altitudes between 450 and 650 meters above sea-level, where a very exciting Pinot Bianco flourishes. This rich and highly complex wine is impressive for its minerality and considerable capacity for development and thus underscores the full potential of this grape variety.”
Rudi Kofler

98 Points - Orazio Campoli:
This wine is the favorite of most, a truly top wine that delivers years after year. Cantina Terlano “Vorberg” Pinot Bianco Riserva stands as Alto Adige’s most celebrated white wine because it showcases both the region's exceptional terroir and Pinot Bianco's exceptional potential when properly handled. The steep south-facing vineyards at Monte Vorberg between 450–950 meters above sea level provide grapes with extreme temperature variations and volcanic porphyry soils and extended cool growing seasons that result in precise and deep wines. "Vorberg" serves as a standard for serious white wine production because it demonstrates the aging characteristics and complex layers which typically define high-end Chardonnay and Burgundy wines. The wine develops richness and structure through its aging process in large oak casks while maintaining its freshness. This is a world class wine, at this price point it is my to go, always. Try cellaring for 10 years or so. You will be surprised!

96 Points - Decanter:
"An abundance of zippy primary fruit embellished by a squeeze of lemon and lime juice which oozes onto the palate and enlivens the smart oak frame."

95+ Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:
"The 2022 Alto Adige Terlano Pinot Bianco Riserva Vorberg is a creamy, mid-weight expression from a warm and dry vintage. The wine offers pretty aromatic highlights of melon, Golden Delicious apple, pie crust and crushed oystershell. This is a beautiful and more accessible taste of the best of Alto Adige."

94 Points - James Suckling:
"Fairly neutral with vibrant apricot fruit, aromatic herbs and a touch of almonds. Tight and tense acidity on the medium-bodied palate, tingling and electric. The citrusy finish is long and salty."

94 Points - Wine Enthusiast:
"A masterclass in handling a warm vintage, with all the concentration and power you'd expect from 2022, but those steep Vorberg slopes kept enough freshness to make it sing. Ripe yellow apple, quince, and white peach mesh with notes of crushed stones and mountain herbs. Hints yeasted bread and roasted almonds show breadth and richness, but the wine carries Terlano's trademark ability to balance richness with mountain freshness. It lays down waves of fruit while maintaining a cool, mineral-driven core. The kind of white that prompts rethinking what Italian whites can be, especially in challenging years."

93 Points - Vinous:
"The 2022 Pinot Bianco Riserva Vorberg is wildly fresh, with a cascade of dusty dried flowers, lemon oil, sweet herbs and white smoke. This is silken and elegant in feel with creamy weight suspended by vibrant acidity, as mineral-laced orchard fruits flow across the palate. It finishes long and staining, full of youthful tension, as the palate buzzes with a saline saturation and hints of sour citrus. The 2022 is just a baby today, but it has fantastic potential."

91 Points - Wine Spectator:
"A fragrant white, with hints of preserved lemon, petrol and wild thyme lacing flavors of poached apricot and pear, plus a rich touch of toasted hazelnut and the tang of grapefruit sorbet. A crackling streak of salinity combines with stone and other mineral accents on the long, creamy finish. Drink now through 2035."