2024 Weingut Hans Rottensteiner, Kitz, Vignette Delle Dolomiti Rosso IGT, Alto Adige, Italy.
The medium bodied, dark hued Kitz Rosso from Rottensteiner captures a soulful expression of the Alto Adige terroir with a mix of of crushed red berry fruit, plum, strawberry, blueberry and currant, along with hints of gravelly earthiness, anise, mountain herbs, orange peel and a touch of coco. Rottensteiner says this red blend, which is mainly composed of the two autochthonous grape varieties Schiava and Lagrein, along with a splash of Merlot, has a sense of the freshness and fruitiness of the Schiava, combined with the power, deep pigment and complexity of the Lagrein, and is rounded off by the fullness of the Merlot. To which I agree and can see clearly here in this vintage, with its high elevation peakiness, good acidity, mild, but structured tannin, and its mineral tones, all making it a wine of place and delicious with alpine cuisine. The main grape here, Schiava, was sourced from pergola trained vines set on sandy porphyry soils, with the Lagrein and Merlot coming from near by vineyards that get a bit riper. I really have enjoyed the Rottensteiner wines, with their latest Schiava being a favorite, along with this one, that saw pure stainless steel fermentation and aging, that I was able to taste at their importer Massanois’ trade tastings in New York, Chicago and here in San Francisco most recently. I’m a fan of old school Alto Adige wines, so Rottensteiner has a real appeal to me and offers a lot of quality for the money, it joins the likes of Terlano and Manincor in my go to list of this region’s wineries, that I especially look for when out and about.
The Rottensteiner winery, which I discovered fully last year, is located near the city of Bolzano and primarily focused on approachable wines that show off the Alto Adige’s history, terroir and purity of native varietals, which includes Pinot Grigio, Pinot Blanco, Müller Thurgau, Sylvaner, Lagrein and Schiava, as well as this Rosso. Rottensteiner has been a continuing dream of their founder, Hans Rottensteiner, in producing their own wines, rather than turning grapes over to the co-op. Established back in 1956, with Hans focused on selling his wines in bulk from the winery to the thriving market in Switzerland. In the 1980’s, his son Toni changed over to marketing their bottled wines, with some success and since 2001 he has been supported by his grandson Hannes. Not only do they have the grapes from the family’s own 10 hectares, that have been processed from the onset, but also those of close to 50 regional small family grape growers as well, making for a dynamic forward thinking company that still pays tribute to generations of tradition and hard work in the vineyards. As mentioned before, the Schiva grape, also known as Trollinger or Vernatsch, is a red German/Italian varietal that was likely first originally cultivated in the wine regions of South Tyrol and Trentino in the Alto Adige, high up in the Dolomites. I highly recommend trying out these Rottensteiner wines, with this Kitz Rosso, the mentioned Schiava, and the Kitz Bianco, made mainly from Sauvignon Blanc, being good places to start. As with most Ato Adige wines, food brings out the best in them, be sure to enjoy them with a meal, this one doesn’t need any aging, so drink up.
($22 Est.) 91 Points, grapelive