2017 Cantina Roeno, Riesling “Praecipuus” IGT Riesling Renano TreVenezie, Italy.
This crisply dry and pure straw/gold 100% Riesling from Roeno shows off loads of unique character and has a mineral driven charm with zesty lemon oil, quince, melon, green apple and lime fruits, along with verbena, bitter herbs, flint, wet stone, saline and green almond notes.The Roeno Winery, which has a unique array of varietals planted, is located near the border between the Veneto and Trentino, in the land known as “Terra dei Forti” or land with no borders, with the estate surrounded by majestic Dolomite mountain slopes that flank the Adige River. There’s a bunch of cool things being made here and this wine really grew on me over a two day period and was great with an array of cuisines. The soils of Renano (part of theTrentino DOC) wine regions are complex, they include clay, limestone, dolomite granite, sand, and volcanic clay. This Renano Riesling, from true German clones, saw a soft pressing of the grapes and a short maceration before the juice is settled, allowing the green phenolics to drop out before being fermented in cool stainless steel tanks. The clean must is fermented using a carefully selected Geisenheim yeast culture, believed to be from the Mosel, and kept in temperature controlled vats, where this dry wine matured for about twelve months on the fine lees. The winemaking at Roeno, by Giuseppe Fugatti, leans on old German and Austrian traditions, pursuing freshness and transparency, as seen here.

The Roeno Winery, which has a unique array of varietals planted, is located near the border between the Veneto and Trentino, in the land known as “Terra dei Forti” or land with no borders, with the estate surrounded by majestic Dolomite mountain slopes that flank the Adige River. There’s a bunch of cool things being made here and this wine is just the tip of the iceberg and I highly recommend searching out these Roeno offerings. The Roeno wines, by the Fugatti family, who’ve lived and worked here for multiple generations have a range of imported options, which is still pretty limited in the States, though they do some Interesting stuff available, including this dry Riesling, that looks like one of their signature wines, along with a Teroldego della Vallagarina I reviewed recently. I also understand they have an ultra rare red made from 100% Enantio (which I had never even heard of) from vines planted in 1865. While Riesling has long been a staple in the Alto Adige, it is not a grape always associated with Italy, but in recent years the varietal has really come into its own here, with some Piemonte versions, especially those by the likes of G.D. Vajra and Germano being outstanding. That said, I have really enjoyed this “Praecipuus” by Roeno and the wines from this remote area that straddles the Veneto and Trentino area and I look forward to exploring the region further in the coming years or vintages. Imported to the United States by Giuseppe LoCascio’s Lucidity Wine Merchants, under the Omniwines banner, Roeno, might not be all that easy to find, but I highly recommend searching out their wines, especially this one, which is a great value too.
($20 Est.) 92 Points, grapelive

By admin