Amos Cuvée White – 2022

Amos Cuvée Bianco by Cantina Kurtatsch is grown at altitudes of up to nine hundred meters

The Amos Cuvée Bianco by Cantina Kurtatsch is a dry mountain wine from South Tyrol, pressed from five white grape varieties. It is not an everyday white wine from the valley floor and not a barrique wine, but a cuvée from the highest plots in the municipality.

The Amos Cuvée Bianco by Cantina Kurtatsch is a white wine blend from the South Tyrolean lowlands, composed in this vintage of Pinot Bianco, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Riesling, and Sauvignon. The Riesling is now grown where Kerner once stood, sharpening the wine's profile. At 14.0 percent alcohol, it remains surprisingly unobtrusive.

Peach, linden blossom, and a hint of flint

Pale yellow with green reflections, the Amos sits in the glass, and its bouquet needs a moment before it opens up. The wine demands a little patience before it reveals anything about itself.

Then come white peach and apricot, followed by linden blossom and a citrus note contributed by the Riesling. On the palate, the fruit leads at first, but is then taken over by a fine trace of flint that makes the wine serious. The texture remains smooth, and the finish is remarkable.

Vinified dry, the 2022 vintage shows more edge than its predecessor, which is due to the cool autumn and the later harvest time in the uppermost plots.

Zander, guinea fowl, and mushroom ragout

Pan-fried zander with brown butter brings out the creamy side of the wine and allows the acidity to work alongside it. Wherever butter or a white wine reduction is involved, the Amos has an easy time of it.

Guinea fowl, a mushroom ragout, spring asparagus, and a piece of Comté also find their place here. The Amos reveals the most at 11 to 12 degrees and in a large glass, as cold renders it silent.

Things are more herbaceous with the Sauvignon Blanc, and the non-alcoholic grape juice of the same variety is available for a completely alcohol-free option.

Vineyards between Penon and Graun

The grapes for the Amos are grown in Penon and Graun, in plots between 600 and 900 meters above sea level.

Up there, the temperature drops significantly at night while the day remains warm, and this range is what builds the aromas in the first place. The soils are porous and dolomitic, so water drains away and the roots have to go deep. Forty hectoliters per hectare is the yield; the winery does not allow more in these locations.

The grapes are harvested by hand and by variety, with each grape picked at its own optimal maturity. The crates remain small, and the distance from the vineyard to the cellar is short. This ensures each variety arrives down below in exactly the same condition it was harvested up above.

In the end, no one drinks points

The 2022 vintage collected 96 out of 100 points at the Decanter World Wine Awards, plus 92 points from Falstaff and gold at Mundus Vini.

At the table, no one notices any of that, and that is a good thing, because in the end, no one drinks points. What counts is a bottle that carries an entire evening, from the appetizer to the cheese. More from the south of South Tyrol can be found in the Cantina Kurtatsch collection. You can taste the mountain.

Origin, values, and awards

• Origin: Wine from Italy
• Region: South Tyrol - Alto Adige DOC
• Grape varieties: Pinot Bianco, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Riesling, Sauvignon
• 14.0% vol. alcohol
• 6.3 g/l acidity
• 2.0 g/l residual sugar
• Awards 2022: 96 points Decanter World Wine Awards, 94 points Robert Parker, 94 points Falstaff, 92 points Vinum, 92 points James Suckling, 91 points Wine Enthusiast, 17.5 points Jancis Robinson, Gold Mundus Vini, Gault & Millau outstanding in its category