ALTO ADIGE
INTRODUCING PETER DIPOLI
by Dixon Brooke
Hopefully this isn’t an introduction for all of you, as Dipoli has certainly made his presence felt in the wine world for a good many years now. A pioneer not hesitant to challenge the status quo, he has succeeded in doing what many thought wasn’t possible: making world-class wines on the steep mountain slopes of his youth that compete with the greats from anywhere.
2010 VOGLAR
Voglar is Dipoli’s incredible Sauvignon Blanc dell’Alto Adige, as interpreted from his native soils. Grown on near-vertical, high-altitude dolomitic limestone slopes, his Sauvignon can mature at a glacial pace and obtain perfect ripeness while preserving the freshness and vibrancy that is the variety’s trademark. For the final touch, it is aged patiently in large acacia casks until release. The result is one of the world’s mightiest Sauvignon Blancs, in my opinion. I try to resist the urge to compare it to any others, however, as I like to think of it as its own category of “Mountain Sauvignon.” Ripe and luscious aromatics lead to a graceful, concentrated palate with an intense and lengthy finish that is bracingly and deeply mineral. Sauvignon dell’Alto Adige indeed. Please don’t miss it.
$32.00 per bottle $345.60 per case
2009 IUGUM
Dry Northern Italian Cabernet. That is how I think of this masterpiece. Peter planted this parcel—one of the warmest in the zone—after thoroughly studying where Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot might thrive. It is a saddle of land rich in limestone and clay perched on the side of one of Alto Adige’s many rugged peaks. The Bordeaux varieties ripen slowly and methodically, and in the end you have ideal ripeness but no heat or stewed flavors, and nothing vegetal. You can tell it is a mountain wine, but in the best sense. It is full-bodied yet effortless and pleasant to drink, refreshing even. Reminds me of Quintarelli in that way. Buon appetito.
$48.00 per bottle $518.40 per case