Think of that iconic
scene in “The Sound of Music” where Julie Andrews cavorts and sings with the mountains in the background and you’ve got a good idea of how I feel when I come across a good St. Magdalener. I’m not kidding: This soft, bright red from the Italian Alps is joyful and refreshing by design, comprised mostly of a local grape called Schiava grown near Italy’s border with Austria.
Among its many charms is its perfectness as a summertime red wine option—buoyant fruit, soft tannins, low alcohol, even better with a chill…it’s all there. And in the case of today’s 2017 St. Magdalener Classico from Ansitz Waldgries (close readers may remember our offer of the ’16), there’s something more: an extra layer of concentration and complexity that puts it on another level. I tasted this 2017 blind and was convinced I had something serious from Burgundy on my hands, either a top-tier Cru Beaujolais or maybe a warm-vintage Pinot Noir from Beaune. Being an Italian wine partisan, I started looking for a meadow to skip through upon learning its identity (but settled for a solitary fist-pump in my office). The mixture of refreshment and real character in this wine is special, and made even more so when you consider its spectacular region of origin. I will be stocking up on it for the summer and I’d prevail on you to do the same.
It all comes down to something we said when we offered the 2016: Life is short, so don’t drink generic wine. And when it comes to non-generic, it doesn’t get any more deliciously quirky than the Alto Adige. German is the first language here, as the region, annexed by Italy after the First World War, was once part of Austria’s Tirol (Südtirol, for South Tyrol, is the German name for the province). Street signs (and wine labels) are printed in both German and Italian and the food and architecture hardly fit the classic ‘Italian’ stereotype. Most wine drinkers have at least a passing acquaintance with the region because of all the Pinot Grigio that comes out of there, but there so much more than meets the eye: a wide assortment of aromatic, well-structured varietal whites are complemented by a similarly broad range of reds, as it gets plenty warm in the daytime here. Walled in by the Alps and Dolomites, the Adige River valley is a broad, sun-drenched basin that receives a daily blast of warm air coming off Lake Garda to the south. Soils closest to the river are gravel and sand (which inspired many producers to plant ‘Bordeaux’ varieties), becoming rockier and more morainic (i.e. left by the retreat of glaciers) as you climb upward. The most-planted red variety is Schiava (Vernatsch in German), which is naturally light in both color and body, with brambly, forest-floor aromas mingling with bright red fruits. It’s amazing how perfectly suited Schiava reds are to their place: They’re a bright, easy-drinking counterpart to often-heavy, German-accented food and the perfect refresher after a day of hiking or skiing.
Ansitz Waldgries, run by Christian Plattner and family, is a characteristically bucolic property centered on a 13th-century manor house and cellar in the hills north of Bolzano. Their vineyards here are part of the St. Magdalener (Santa Maddalena) sub-zone, where soils are a mix of glacial moraine and volcanic material—especially porphyritic quartz— and vineyard altitudes range from 250 to 900 meters. As was the case with their 2016, Plattner’s take on St. Magdalener Classico is a little richer and more serious than is typical for the category, thanks in part to the inclusion to roughly 10% of the darker, deeper Lagrein grape (up to 15% is allowed under appellation rules). Fruit is sourced from a 2.6-hectare site at 350 meters’ elevation; it was fermented in stainless steel tanks and aged 5 months in large, used oak vats.
Although lush and deep by St. Magdalener standards, this 2017 is nevertheless a bright, soft, medium-weight refresher. In the glass it’s a deep, reflective ruby moving to rosy pink at the rim, with some blue/black fruit notes from the Lagrein lending a bass note to an otherwise bright, spicy mix of raspberry, wild strawberry, plum, underbrush, violet, a touch of mint, bitter chocolate, and leather. Tannins are very soft and the acidity is fresh but not piercing: it lands gently and gracefully on the palate, and finishes with a slightly peppery, savory flourish. It hints at a variety of great lighter-weight reds—Cru Beaujolais most notably—while marching to the beat of its own drum, and it’s styled to drink young: No need to lay this down or decant it, just pull the cork and don’t be surprised when the bottle empties quickly. I like reds like this a little cooler, 55-60 degrees, and the versatility it offers at a barbecue is unparalleled—whether it’s ribs, burgers, steaks, bbq chicken, your trusty St. Magdalener stands at the ready. I’ll be singing (and maybe dancing) its praises all summer. Enjoy!
