Questo vino
Vineyard and terroir
The blend is selected each year from the estate’s best plots. The vineyards lie at approximately 350–500 m with southeastern exposure, combining dolomitic limestone, sand, Adige pebbles and rocky layers.
Grapes
A selection of the finest white grapes, predominantly Chardonnay. The composition varies with the annual choice of plots; exact percentages are not specified for the published 2017 vintage.
Vinification
The different varieties are picked when Chardonnay reaches optimum maturity. They are crushed and pressed together, then co-fermented in new French oak barriques. Part of the wine undergoes malolactic fermentation.
Ageing
The wine matures for another ten months in barrique with regular lees stirring, followed by at least six months in bottle. It then undergoes prolonged bottle maturation in the tunnels of a former silver mine in the Ridnaun Valley, three kilometres inside the mountain at 2,000 m. The bottles rest in total darkness and isolation at a constant 11 °C, 95% humidity and very low air pressure. The product page specifies four years in the mine, whereas the 2017 technical sheet specifies seven years.
Technical data
The 2017 vintage has 13.5% alcohol, 6.2 g/L total acidity and 2.0 g/L residual sugar. The bottle format is 0.75 L.
Tasting profile
Rich, deep golden yellow. The expressive bouquet combines a juicy, subtly exotic fruit character with grapefruit, orange, gentle smoke, spice and integrated honey. The palate juxtaposes youthful charm with complex maturity, crisp freshness with substantial potential, and alpine coolness with a warmer southern character.
Serving and pairing
Serve at 11–13 °C with flavour-rich first courses, fish, cheese or white meat.
Label / history
The argentum bonum concept refers to the Schneeberg silver mine in the Ridnaun Valley. A document signed by the Counts of Tyrol in 1237 described its silver as the finest in Europe. The name—Latin for “good silver”—links this history with the prolonged high-altitude maturation of selected bottles.
