Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Wines made with Lagrein have an almost
impenetrable color and can be characterized
by harsh tannins, making them bitter and
unpleasant. Over the last decade, this aspect
has been corralled (mainly via a combination
of shorter maceration times, lower fermenta-
tion temperature, and use of small oak bar-
rels), though a tinge of bitterness at the back
is a characteristic of the wine. Lagrein wine is
big and full-bodied, offering an excellent
alternative to Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot
wines, though in my experience it is best
within its fi rst ten years of life, rarely improv-
ing after that. Wines can be red (Lagrein
Dunkel:
dunkel,
meaning dark in German) or
rosato
(Lagrein Krtezer:
kretzer,
meaning pink
or light).
Rosato
efforts can be especially
good.
In California, Arbios/Praxis Cellars is prob-
ably the largest U.S. Lagrein producer and
makes a very good wine (2007 was their fi rst
vintage). Also try Tobin James (Silver Reserve),
Tre Anelli, and Belvino. Australian efforts
include excellent examples by Chalmers (the
2009 is fresher than some past vintages;
though they haven't always been the last word
in complexity, all the lagreins made here strike
me as very successful, pleasant wines charac-
terized by silky tannins and a chocolaty note on
the fi nish), and Cobaw Ridge (which I believe
produced Australia's fi rst commercial release of
Lagrein wine in 1997). The version from Hand
Crafted by Geoff Hardy includes 15 percent
Cabernet Sauvignon, and Heartland's Lang-
horne Creek is a rare blend of Lagrein with Dol-
cetto. Seppeltsfi eld also makes a lagrein in
Barossa, which might strike one as an interest-
ing choice, given Alto Adige's cool climate, but
this is not such a strange choice at all. First
because there are cooler parts to Barossa, but
also because it is easy to forget that in Alto
Adige the vineyards are planted in south-facing
valleys which have summer daytime tempera-
tures in the mid- to high 30s. In fact, Italians
know that Bolzano is, along with Palermo in
Sicily, one of Italy's hottest cities in the
summer.
wines to try:
Cantina Convento Muri-
Gries*** (Abtei Muri Riserva), Cantina Produt-
tori Santa Maddalena/Cantina di Bolzano***
(Taber Riserva; maybe the most classic, best all-
around lagrein, every vintage), Cantina Ter-
lano*** (Porphyr Riserva; from grapes not
solely from the classic zone of Bolzano but from
Egna, so this is a more elegant, suave Lagrein
wine), Josephus Mayr*** (Lagrein Dunkel Ris-
erva, a very idiosyncratic red that you can recog-
nize blind every time; thick, rich, viscous, and
very intense spicy, inky, and fruity fl avors),
Lageder*** (Lindenburg), Abbazia di Nova-
cella** (Praepositus Riserva; always dependa-
ble and satisfying—I'm not sure these guys
could make a bad wine even if they tried ), and
Georg Ramoser** (Riserva).
Lambrusco
s
See
LAMBRUSCO
FAMILY
, chapter 3.
Lanzesa
where it's found:
Emilia-Romagna.
national
registry code number:
452.
color:
white.
An ancient variety that has been known in
Romagna since 1400, but a very recent addition
to the National Registry: Lanzesa was offi cially
recognized only in 2011. Lanzesa is so named
for its spear-shaped berry (spear in Italian is
lancia,
hence
lanzesa
in the
romagnolo
dialect).
This is a remarkably interesting grapevine to
look at and an even more interesting wine to
taste: you can just see Lanzesa descending lin-
eage-wise from local wild grapevines. It has
tellingly characteristic long shoots with well-
distanced internodes and large leaves. In some
respects it looks a little like Trebbiano Roma-
gnolo, but Lanzesa's tiny, conical bunch and
pointy, spear-shaped, medium-small berry dif-
ferentiate the two clearly. Lanzesa does very
poorly with vigorous training systems such as
the
pergola
(canopy) and needs to be pruned
Guyot-style to be capable of producing ripe ber-
ries and a decent wine. Part of the problem is
