The Terlaner I Grande Cuvée will be uncorked for the first time to an exclusive audience of top New York City sommeliers at Eleven Madison Park.
With this long history of excellence in white wine production, the time was ripe for Alto Adige’s most prestigious winery, Cantina Terlano to release a wine that would be the benchmark, the very essence of Terlano. “The Terlaner I Grande Cuvée combines the grape varieties Pinot Bianco, Chardonnay and Sauvignon from the winery’s cru sites at Winkl, Kreuth and Vorberg” says winemaker Rudi Kofler, “And since extraordinary wines are always a product of the perfect interplay of vineyard, soil, vintage and touch, we have ensured that the wines made from the rigorously selected grapes are given enough time to do their best and the result is Terlaner I Grande Cuvée”.
Drilling in the area of the three Terlaner I Grande Cuvée sites and analysis of the cores with the help of modern technology revealed the presence of a subvolcanic body created through the penetration and slow solidification of magma, in which special crystals developed over millions of years: a rare gift of nature for the vines, which defy the meager soil by sending their roots deep down where they find the nutrition they need in the mineral treasures of the earth – in a rich store of polyphenols and other natural nutrients. That explains the unique character of Terlano’s white wines and especially of the Terlaner I. The slow maturing process in large oak barrels, a long period resting on the fine lees in the French “sur lie” style, and a further year in the bottle give Terlaner I Grande Cuvée an extraordinarily multifaceted aroma and enormous potential for development.
Rich and complex on the nose, the Terlaner I Grande Cuvée develops salty mineral notes on the palate. The wine’s elegance and perfect balance are the product of its remarkable structure and subtle texture, which give the wine its unmistakable character. It’s extremely long finish is more than pleasant; it leaves its mark in memory as the supreme expression of a mineral terroir that is unique in the world. The result is the “best Terlaner in the world”, a great wine with the appeal of the world’s leading whites in terms of depth, minerality and elegance.
The Grande Cuvée, which is only produced in years offering a perfect combination of all the quality factors, was first produced in 2011 and made its official debut this January 2014, first to the Italian and German press on January 17th, 2014 followed by it’s unveiling in New York City to top restaurant sommeliers on January 27th, 2014.
Sales Manager Klaus Gasser added, “This vintage is limited to 2850 bottles and, in future they will mainly be found on the wine lists of the world’s leading restaurants”. Terlaner I (Primo) Grande Cuvée will also be available from leading retailers at a price of $ 250.00.
