Freienfeld Chardonnay Riserva – 2022

Freienfeld Chardonnay Riserva from Cantina Kurtatsch with apricot and toasted notes

The 2022 Freienfeld Chardonnay Riserva from Cantina Kurtatsch is a South Tyrolean Riserva white wine, fermented and aged in French barriques. This is not a lean summer Chardonnay or a casual drinking wine, but a dense, single-vineyard wine that has been given time and demands the same in return.

The 2022 Freienfeld Chardonnay Riserva from Cantina Kurtatsch is a Chardonnay from their terroir line, named after the Freienfeld vineyard above the village. The vines grow at altitudes between 300 and 500 meters on light gravel with a high proportion of dolomite limestone, interspersed with loamy quartzite. With 14 percent alcohol and long aging, this is a wine for the dinner table, not the terrace.

Ripe apricot, pear, and fine toasted notes

It shines golden yellow in the glass, and the nose is met with ripe apricot, pear, and pineapple, alongside fine toasted notes and a hint of vanilla.

On the palate, it is full-bodied and silky, yet it never feels sluggish. The acidity runs through it like a fine thread, holding everything together. The finish is long, with notes of mango and toasted hazelnut resurfacing.

Warmth and freshness exist in close proximity here, and the fact that they do not clash is the real achievement of this wine. Two years after harvest, the fruit still remains clearly in the foreground.

Fermented in barriques and regularly stirred

After being hand-picked, the grapes are destemmed and gently pressed; the must goes not into steel tanks, but directly into French barriques. Barrique means small barrels with high contact, which is exactly what matters here.

It ferments there and remains on the fine lees for twelve months, which are stirred regularly. This bâtonnage is careful, systematic manual labor that gives the wine its silky texture without weighing it down.

It is then aged in the bottle for at least six months. Only after that does anyone at the winery consider selling it. Cellar master Erwin Carli decides when that point has been reached.

Pairs with truffle pasta and poached char

Truffle pasta is an obvious pairing here because the wine picks up on the earthy aroma while simultaneously offering a fresh counterpoint. A porcini mushroom risotto echoes that same earthy profile.

Poached char, lobster with butter, chicken breast in cream sauce, and aged mountain cheese also find their place alongside it. Serve at 12 to 14 degrees Celsius in a large glass; open it an hour in advance to see it really open up.

For a powerful red counterpart, try the bold Lagrein, or for something more refined, the Pinot Noir.

Effortlessly ages for eight to ten years

Mundus Vini awarded it silver and Gault Millau placed it among the international elite, but what matters most is what is in the glass.

This vintage will age effortlessly for eight to ten years; as the years pass, the fruit recedes and the nuttiness comes to the fore. When stored in the cellar, it prefers a dark and consistently cool environment. Discover more from the south of South Tyrol in the Cantina Kurtatsch assortment. Hats off.

Origin, values, and awards

• Origin: Wine from Italy
• Region: South Tyrol - Alto Adige DOC
• Grape variety: Chardonnay
• 14.0% vol. alcohol
• 6.2 g/l acidity
• 2.0 g/l residual sugar
• Awards 2022: 97 points Platinum Decanter World Wine Awards, 94 points Robert Parker, Gold WineHunter Award, Gault Millau International Elite, Silver Mundus Vini