3/8319 Italian Wines from Alto Adige


FRIDAY SIPS
Alto Adige wines from Girlan
Special Guest - Marc Pfitscher
Today March 8 from 1:30 - 6:30
You owe it to yourself to be here today to taste this excellent lineup of Italian wines from Alto Adige up near the Austrian border. Girlan is a longtime co-op who makes impeccable wines that receive both buzz and accolades throughout the world.
We are very thrilled to have Girlan's Export Director, Marc Pfitscher on hand today to discuss a lineup of five of their wines (listed below) and provide a delicious afternoon indeed.


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2017 GIRLAN PINOT BIANCO
$13.99 BTL./$83.94 - SIX PACK

Initially, I featured the Girlan wines over 10 years ago and thought they were lovely, however, for some reason they up and disappeared from the market. Move ahead to VinItaly two years ago and Todd ‘Pancetta’ Bacon running across them again. He commenced representing them and brought preview samples back and safe to say that several of us in town were mighty impressed because these wines were no longer merely lovely wines, they have become quite formidable and amongst the most impeccable of the region.

Pinot Bianco is a lot like Chardonnay in that it is what I refer to as a ‘blank slate’ grape, taking on the tones of where it comes from. In Alto Adige, the vineyards that the grapes come from are high elevation, and the aromas and flavors are very fine and pure. Adding to this, Girlan does very little to tamper with the purity, doing all fermentation and aging in stainless steel tanks. If you ever wanted to know what we are talking about when we say, pure, clean and crisp, then this would be a good example.

Attractive aromas of apple, peach, and white flowers along with prominent flinty, stony aspects. Clean and elegant in the mouth, this has subtle richness, with virtually crunchy fruit and a pristine, mouthwatering finish. One can have this wine on its own as an aperitif but it really shines with grilled prawns or fresh crab. Lately Girlan has been receiving all kinds of love and deservedly so, these wines have soared from being merely solid to being top notch and they don’t break the bank.



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2016 GIRLAN PINOT BIANCO
'PLATTENRIEGL'
$19.99 BTL./$119.94 - SIX PACK

Mamma Mia! We're talking wine greatness in a glass. Girlan's 2016 Plattenriegl Pinot Bianco is some kind of sexy! A definitive up-step from the classic Pinot Bianco, Plattenriegl comes from a single site at 1500 feet of elevation that has excellent stony soil.

Very alpine in personality. Brilliant straw-yellow in color with a pale green shimmer, one might think we're talking about new spring couture. Delicate nuances of very fine fruit including apples and peaches sing like a church soloist from the glass. Resounding and clear with well-integrated earth-mineral-spice on the nose. Creamy, elegant, medium-bodied Pinot Bianco flavor with a round and fresh mouth-watering finish. Since we just passed through Oscar season, the envelope, please - Girlan's Reserve Plattenriegl Pinot Bianco wins the Best Wine So Far in 2019 that will pair with your fresh salmon.



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2017 GIRLAN PINOT GRIGIO
$13.99 BTL./$83.94 - SIX PACK

The quality for this Pinot Grigio says that this wine should run closer to $20 (which when front-lined, it does) however at 14 this is a smashing steal. This is a Pinot Grigio that is definitely not boring. If you love this grape varietal, we cannot urge to more to jump all over this excellent value.

With its almost quartz-like aromas, this wine keeps inviting you back for more. Impeccable apple-spice fruit and a nice touch of mineral and mushroom permeate from the glass. The texture is creamy, but also seemingly very crystallized with serious cut and mouthwatering briskness. The finish is nakedly pure and drawn out. A magical match with smoked salmon. Drink it now and drink it often.



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2017 GIRLAN SAUVIGNON BLANC 'INDRA'
$17.99 BTL./$107.94 - SIX PACK

When I initially sampled this wine, my notes quickly deteriorated into unmentionable, deviant thoughts. After proofreading the notebook, I decided that if I wrote them, it would warp all of your fragile little minds! Sauvignon Blanc takes on many forms and flavors and the best from Alto Adige can be utterly compelling.

Girlan’s 2017 Indra Cuvee Sauvignon is a vibrant, naked and devilishly seductive vino Bianco with fleshy flavors of Meyer lemon, melon, creamy pear and substantial minerality. There is no wood utilized so the detailed flavors are that much more underlined. The finish is crisp and cleansing. Not many producers can put forth such an animated, flavorful and complex white wine with considerable length that entrancingly conveys both varietal, site, and maintain a 20-buck price point. Drink now and over the 3-4 years with alder or cedar plank grilled salmon, spring/summer salads with fresh cheeses, and light vegetable-based pastas. If you don’t believe it in writing, stop by on Friday to taste it as well as an entire lineup of Girlan wines.



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2017 GIRLAN PINOT NOIR 'PATRICIA'
$19.99 BTL./$119.94 - SIX PACK

Often not thought about when it comes to wine grapes in Alto Adige, Pinot Noir has been cultivated here since the middle of the nineteenth century. Once upon a time not so long ago, many of these wines on their better days were lean, mean and green. These days that has all changed. Combine better expertise, knowledge, farming, global warming and voila, we are seeing some very nice examples emerging from this Alpine region.

‘Good full red-ruby. Perfumed nose of red cherry, flint, coffee and flowers. The 2015 Pinot Nero Patricia offers very puren flint and red cherry flavors that are balanced, deep, fresh and mineral. The Patricia finishes long with a whiplash of harmonious acidity and very good inner-mouth perfume. This is a rare, really outstanding Italian Pinot Nero. Well done. – 91+ POINTS – VINOUS