Erste & Neue Pinot Bianco Alto Adige DOC 2021

Description

Erste & Neue Pinot Bianco 2021 is from the Alto Adige DOC or appellation in the South Tyrol region of Italy. Alto Adige is the source of many of Italy’s greatest dry white wines. The Erste & Neue winery which merged with Cantina Kaltern (Caldaro) at the end of 2016 told me in 2017 that they decided to label this wine as Pinot Bianco so that people expect a dry, Italian white wine. It was previously labelled as Weissburgunder, the German name for the Pinot Bianco or Pinot Blanc grape. Whatever you want to call it, it is an exceptional white wine.

Erste & Neue Pinot Bianco seems to get better and better with each vintage and I am still quite blown away wheneve I taste the wine. If you don’t like oaked white wines, you will love this wine which is both amazingly fresh and yet quite complex in character. The aromas on the nose are very light, as you would expect from a Pinot Bianco/ Pinot Blanc but hint at the complex nature of the wine – subtle apple and pear bouquets with hints of lime, honeysuckle & almond. Ripe pears and Granny Smith apples are obvious on the palate; the long finish sees lime kicking in at the end which with the crisp acidity gives it a very fresh character, yet with a silky smooth mouthfeel. A delicious crisp wine which is great to drink on its own but complements seafood and fish dishes especially.