Manincor Mason di Mason Pinot Noir 2012
Type: Red
Country: Italy
Region: Alto Adige
Grape Variety: 100% Pinot Noir
Viticulture: Biodynamic | Certified Organic
Climate: The Alps protect the area from cold air masses from the north filled with precipitation, while warm, moist air currents from Lake Garda and the Mediterranean find their way to Alto Adige
Terroir: Mazzon, referred to as “Mason” to differentiate it from the larger site of the same name on the opposite side of the Adige Valley above Neumarkt. Four hectares in this south-facing mountainside terrace are planted with Pinot Noir. It is a superb site at between 400 and 450 metres altitude, sun-drenched with a constant breeze. The latter is important for Pinot Noir given that the compact clusters tend to trap moisture between the berries and make them susceptible to rot. The soil is a mixture of sand and clay mixed with a diversity of rocks, from finely eroded dolomite, porphyry, gneiss and granite to hand-sized stones. The highest parcels of vineyard planted with the oldest vines are selected in top vintages to produce this “grand cru from a grand cru”
Winemaking: Each batch of grapes from the various parcels of vineyard was harvested and crushed separately. Fermentation was spontaneous and took place in open-top oak vats using yeasts occurring naturally on the grapes. Skin contact lasted three weeks and the skins were pushed down into the embryonic wine twice per day as they rose to the surface. The young wine was transferred to barriques, 50 % of which were new, and was left to mature there on the fine lees for 12 months. The blend was then made and only the best barrels were selected for the Mason di Mason
Color: Full ruby red
Nose: The bouquet has a ripe Pinot Noir fruit aroma characterised by violets, dark cherries, mocha, toffee, vanilla & hazelnuts
Palate: A long multi-layered mid-palate is complimented by the smooth & silky texture with soft, round, mouth-filling tannins to deliver a clean, elegant, harmonious and persistent finish full of personality
About the Winery:
With 50 hectares of grape growing areas, the Manincor Estate Winery in Caldaro is one of the largest in all of Alto Adige. And also one with some of the richest traditions: grapes have been grown here for more than four hundred years, a tradition which Count Michael Goëss-Enzenberg continues – along new paths that are actuality old.
Count Goëss-Enzenberg, who is himself a trained oenologist, has focused on biodynamic cultivation in his estate winery since 2005, and that means: the revitalization of the soil with compost, special sowing of greenery, allowing chickens, sheep, and bees in the vineyard, and last but not least creating herbal teas with which the grapevines are treated. Chamomile helps the plants to overcome situations of stress, stinging nettle tea gives them energy and horsetail herb supports the healing of injuries.
But as old as the knowledge about cultivation is at the Manincor Estate Winery in Kaltern, that’s how modern the winery is, which was built underground three stories below the vineyards. In the end, the grapes from a half million vines are brought together here, and a total of fifteen different grape varieties are made into wine here. But in spite of the size, the work in the winery is still always worked by hand – with particular attention to small scale: “Also trying and doing our best possible work even down to the smallest detail is our path to the highest natural quality,” says Count Goëss-Enzenberg. Because, “For me, wine is the greatest sensory expression of agricultural culture.”
And at the Manincor Estate Winery in Caldaro, they know their way around with a focus on the senses, with passion, with authenticity, and with heart. For more than four hundred years. After all, a free translation of Manincor is “hand on heart”.
