Curlan Chardonnay Riserva: The New “soloist” from Cantina Girlan

The cult and passion for terroir find a new interpreter in the first white wine to join the “Solist” line, the star of Cantina Girlan. From two specific plots comes a Chardonnay of great personality and longevity.

Studying Chardonnay

Two small and selected plots within a historic sub-area, many years of study, research and countless micro-vinifications, the desire to produce a great white that can defy time and return the territory of origin in the glass. These were the goals that from the beginning guided Cantina Girlan in the creation of a new white wine, the first to become part of the “Solisti” line, the crown jewel of the winery and exclusively reserved for those labels that possess a unique identity and potential for great longevity.

“We are really satisfied with the result we managed to achieve after years of study and careful analysis,” explains Oscar Lorandi, president of Cantina Girlan. “The challenge we set ourselves was to make a Chardonnay with great character and at the same time capable of defying time without any fear. To do this, we needed to find vineyards with precise characteristics, capable of clearly ‘signing’ the wine, a fundamental aspect especially when confronted with a grape variety like Chardonnay, endowed with great personality.”

Girlan

The grapes for the Curlan Chardonnay Riserva 2019 Südtirol-Alto Adige Doc were selected from two precise plots, “Gschleier” and “Schreckbichl,” located within the “Girlan” subzone, between 450 and 500 meters above sea level. They consist of a single total hectare of vineyards, aged between 20 and 25 years, with both eastern and western exposures, farmed on light, well-ventilated, gravel-rich soils formed from moraine deposits on volcanic porphyritic rock.

“The Girlan micro-zone has always had ideal climatic conditions for growing vines and Chardonnay in particular,” the president further specifies. “Here we find dry soils, excellent ventilation and perfect temperature changes to obtain aromas of great intensity and finesse.”

Creating the Perfect Curlan Chardonnay Riserva

Harvesting, which is done strictly by hand inside small containers, begins during the first decade of October. After the whole bunches are pressed, the must is clarified from the lees through natural sedimentation. Both alcoholic and malolactic fermentation, as well as the subsequent maturation on the lees, take place for 12 months in barriques, 1/3 of which are in new and 2/3 used wood. The wine rests for another 8 months in steel vats, also on the lees, and finally for an additional year in the bottle before release.

“It is a chardonnay with structure and balance, which needs the right oxygenation and the right serving temperature, not too cold, around 10-12 degrees, to give its best,” explains Gerhard Kofler, winemaker at Cantina Girlan. “The very vivid and bright golden yellow color in the glass, the notes of both citrus and ripe fruit reminiscent of peach, but at the same time the decidedly mineral nuances, give a very elegant and rich, almost layered, picture of this Chardonnay. The palate has envelopment and savoriness, but above all structure and a great deal of acid tension that will allow it to continue to evolve for a long time.”

Curlan Chardonnay Riserva 2019 is produced in only 1980 bottles, exclusively marketed in the hotel, restaurant, and catering sectors, as well as within specialized retail. It is the fifth wine to join the “Soloists” line along with Gschleier Alte Reben Vernatsch, Trattmann Pinot Noir Reserve, Curlan Pinot Noir Reserve, and Vigna Ganger Pinot Noir Reserve.

Girlan

Curlan Chardonnay Riserva: The New “soloist” from Cantina Girlan

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