The ancient Roman emperors and, later, the German ones of Sacro Romano Impero, knew very well the high quality of the vines cultivated in the sunny basin of Bolzano, and were used to stock “Potzner, the wine produced there. Today, in the same area, stands the Cantina Produttori Bolzano, one of the most important cooperative wineries in South Tyrol, formed in 2001 by the merger of Cantina Gries (founded in 1908) and that of Santa Magdalena (founded in 1930). The winery has 224 members who, led by oenologist Stephan Filippi, manage 340 hectares of vineyards, spread mainly in the district of Bolzano, with some parcels, such as Santa Magdalena, 50 kilometers further north-west. The strength of this winery is due to the wide variety of soils on which its vineyards are located, characterized also by heterogeneous altitudes ranging from 200 to 1000 meters above sea level.
The production philosophy is characterized by a low energy impact, as demonstrated by the new winery in which, since 2018, the grapes are processed starting from its highest point, facing the various steps with a falling path, from the upper level to the lower one, to the lowest environment, where the aging takes place. The adoption of these procedures has guaranteed a double advantage: a considerable energy saving combined with the possibility of carrying out all the phases of vinification treating the grapes first, and the masses then, with extreme delicacy, without shock.
Despite its size, the winery has continued to maintain a family tradition, promoting the attachment of individual members to their land, which they have known and cultivated for decades. This is the case of the Mock, a Maso (the Trento farm) already known at the end of the 13th century which is located in the Isarco Valley, 500 meters above sea level, and is run by Karl Plattner and his son Armin. The land of Mock had always been cultivated with red berried grapes but, in the ’70s, Karl decided to try a madness, planting the first 100 vines of Sauvignon; and the madness turned into a winning decision as the homonymous Sauvignon Mock has become one of the most famous wines of the whole winery. It was not an easy vineyard to manage, because the winter rain dragged the little arable land downstream, but with tenacity the Plattner family managed to solve all the problems. Inter-rows, for example, have been planted with yellow mustard, oats and clover, whose roots compact the soil and contrast erosion, as well as enriching the biodiversity in the vineyard, with bees, and other insects, attracted by the richness of the botany. In September the grapes reach full ripeness and, after the manual harvest, are selected in the cellar before being gently pressed. The fermentation takes place at a controlled temperature and is followed by a period of maturation in steel (to maintain the freshness of the wine) before bottling and marketing.
The 2019 vintage has a straw yellow color with slight greenish reflections, and an olfactory range that opens on tones of yellow plum, quince, chlorophyll and tomato leaf, followed by pineapple, kumquat, green bell pepper and strawberry tree honey, with final echoes of flint and silex. The taste is pretty soft, with a good acidity and a sapid-mineral component that alternate at the center of the scene, all accompanied by the return of yellow fruit and vegetables that accompany the sip until a discreet length closure.
Rating: 88/100
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