2020 marks the ninth vintage of LR: the exclusive white cuvée of Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco and Sauvignon Blanc, represents a constant challenge for Martin Lemayr, the head-winemaker of Cantina Colterenzio and his team. “We evaluate and select vineyard parcels every year. For the production of this wine, it is crucial that only grapes from these plots are used," explains Lemayr. But why is this so important? Lemayr explains that " The underlying idea is very simple: the healthier and more ripen the grapes are, the better the final product will be. Our job in the cellar is to create a wine from what we get from nature, but we are not magicians. It is the nature, the winegrowers, who lay the groundwork for everything that comes after. And for LR, only the best quality is good enough."
After a careful hand harvest, the grapes are vinified separately in very small quantities before the assemblage is made, a year later. This is followed by a year of maturation in oak barrels and a further year of bottle-ageing. The wine is then released on the market, at the earliest, three years after the harvest.
"We did a good job," said Martin Lemayr with a smile, last January, when we gathered together to taste the new LR, "I always taste LR in January, a few months before the wine hits the market, and I must say that I am extremely pleased with how this vintage has turned out." Alex Ferrigato, sales director of Cantina Colterenzio, agrees: "The wine is incredibly harmonious, the three grape varieties blend wonderfully with each other, just like in an orchestra. None overpowers the others, giving a very balanced result.”
Another characteristic of the vintage 2020 of LR is its impressive acidity, which gives the wine a wonderful freshness besides the well-integrated oak, perceived through very delicate and refined vanilla notes. The exceptionally long-lasting finish makes it a real pleasure for the palate, expressing its innate elegance.
LR captivates not only on the palate but also aesthetically. Alex Ferrigato explains: "The transparent glass bottle features a different painting on the label for each vintage. To admire the artwork, one literally needs to look through the wine, the true protagonist. The bottle itself is wrapped in a elegant silver-colored metal net, designed to intrigue but also to serve as an artistic protective covering for the precious content. The LR 2020 is therefore excellence for both the palate and the eyes: a collector's wine for wine & art enthusiasts.
The name "LR" was not chosen by chance either. LR are the initials of Luis Raifer. For many years, president, and CEO of Cantina Colterenzio, Raifer significantly contributed to the evolution of Alto Adige's wine sector in the 1980s.
LR 2020. The label
The girl feasts her eyes
on the lovely grapes
and admires Nature’s richness. Sunlight fills the fruit
from the inside.
Those expressive eyes
and the slight flush
on her cheeks underline
with emphasis the depth
and freshness of youth.
The girl, the grapes and light are intertwined in magical harmony.
Mezzogiorno italiano, 1827, Karl Pavlovič Brjullov