Martin Steinley sent out a blurb this morning on a new wine offering, which caught my interest since I had recently purchased a bottle of last year’s vintage. So I had to pull it out to try tonight.
2014 Manni Nössing Kerner - Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige, Alto Adige, Valle Isarco / Eisacktaler (9/23/2017)
This has been a week for trying quite a few new wines, so why not one more. Not a lot of experience with Kerner, so flying a little blind. Bit of a cross between Gewurz and Viognier, with some of the Viognier florals and density, and a touch of Gewurz-like spice, with intensity and depth to spare; there’s enough acidity for balance, and a streak of minerality weaving in and out, with some nice umami savoriness on the finish. I could drink this a lot more often. Let me give thanks to the folks who drink $300 Grand Cru white Burgundy, and leave these beautiful $30 bottles for me. (92 pts.)
The Alto Adige is a gold mine for producers making nice wines from under appreciated grapes - in addition to Kerner, you can find good versions of Sylvaner, Muller-Thurgau, Pinot Bianco and even Pinot Grigio.
Thanks for the note, Alan. I’ve had both the 2012 and 2014 versions and like them both a lot; at this stage the '12 is a bit richer but still very precise and not at all heavy. You should also look for Köfererhof’s Kerner; the only vintage I’ve had is the 2013 but I thought it the qualitative equal to Nössing’s.
Bob, you’re right about wines from Alto Adige: clean, crisp, expressive, what’s not to like?
Alan, that is a good note on a difficult to describe wine. Nössing’s Kerner is, I believe, his most popular wine and it doesn’t last long when Kermit Lynch gets a new vintage. That said, the Nössing wine that first got my attention a few years back was his Riesling, which is a beautifully fresh, pure, alpine version of the grape. We drank his 2014 Sylvaner over the weekend and it is lovely, as well - gently sweet, floral nose (much like Chenin) and a clean, crisp, direct palate of white fruit.
Appreciate the follow up thoughts, Martin. I’ll look for Nössing’s Riesling; in general, though, the wines from Alto Adige don’t seem to get the wide distribution they deserve.