The story of LR began in 2011 with Luis Raifer's* idea of creating a wine unlike any other. A blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco and Sauvignon, created to express the full potential of its terroir. A wine in which elegance, complexity and mineral freshness merge into harmony and present themselves as a work of art in the bottle.
Each vintage has its own identity. Every year, the team of Colterenzio Winery takes on the challenge of expressing the best characteristics of each vintage in LR.
"In the 2019 LR, the Pinot Blanc plays a key part," says Martin Lemayr, winemaker of Colterenzio, as he tastes the wine. "I don't think we've ever had an LR with such a lively acidity, so much crispness and juiciness. These are characteristics that - in addition to the vintage characteristics themselves - I clearly attribute to Pinot Bianco."
The 2019 wine year was characterized by variable weather conditions. A warm winter was followed by cool and wet spring months, including some cold short times. However, shortly before harvest began, the winegrowers were rewarded with ideal weather conditions, sunshine during the day and cooler nights, and this golden Autumn accompanied the entire 2019 harvest season. "With LR, this was the perfect condition. The carefully selected grapes are sourced from vineyards, all located at higher altitudes, at around 480-550 m a.s.l. They are thus harvested a bit later, and were therefore able to benefit from these conditions until they had reached full ripeness," Lemayr recalls.
Once harvested, the smallest quantities are pressed and vinified separately. After one year, Martin Lemayr creates the final blend. This is followed by another year of ageing in oak barrels and an additional year in bottle. Then finally, three years after the harvest, the wine is launched on the market.
Here it presents itself today with an intense and complex play of aromas of tropical fruits, ripe pineapple, and citrus notes of oranges and lemon zest. All is very finely completed by very fine, gentle vanilla tones.
On the palate, the wine is expressive, elegant, with a very pronounced acidity finely balanced by the fruit concentration, and long finish.
"I suspect that many LR lovers will be surprised by this vintage," says Alex Ferrigato smiling. "So was I, throughout the development of the wine in the last months. The vintage 2019 shows a style of LR that we didn't know before. Such a pronounced freshness and great charisma, make this wine already a real drinking pleasure. And I am really looking forward to seeing its development in a few years", Ferrigato concludes.
*Luis Raifer was the managing director of Colterenzio Winery for many years and a pioneer of the Alto Adige wine business. He was one of the leading people in the quality offensive of the Alto Adige wine business in the 1980s.
