Peter Zemmer: Wines from the Dolomites

For almost 100 years, the Peter Zemmer family has been making wines in southwestern Alto Adige in the small town of Cortina. This is the last town of German speakers before reaching the Trentino border, and it is uniquely positioned on the valley floor rather than perched in the hillsides. The winery's website has a brilliant, interactive aerial view where visitors can take in the natural beauty of the Dolomites while observing where the Zemmer vineyards lie. 

Whites
91
Pinot Grigio Giatl Riserva 2017 14.5% $42
First, don't serve this wine too cold. Second, it is also worth decanting it. This single vineyard riserva is bold, youthful - even at three years old - and noticeably oaked. (It undergoes alcoholic fermentation and aging in small, French oak casks.) Underneath the toasty, nutty oak lies the scintillating spiciness of Pinot Grigio along with a delectable yellow pear and pluot character. The compelling fruit generosity is pristine clean and impressively concentrated. Still, the ample glycerol coating the palate, the pronounced, high alcohol and rather relaxed acidity suggest that this is more of a mid-term wine despite the solid finish    .
Drink: 2021-24 

89*
Pinot Bianco 2018 13.5% $17
Pinot Bianco is an incredibly versatile grape, and this expression is truly delightful. It is pure and bright with a vivid array of flavors: Key lime, pomelo and yuzu are all zippy fruits that bring a vibrancy to this this medium-plus bodied wine with whisps of glycerol. As it develops on the palate, the crisp flavor of Asian pears mingles with hawthorn and almond. The tugging, lightly tannic finish helps clean up the palate on the medium finish. This is a very versatile wine for food pairing.
Drink: 2021-24 

87
Riesling 2018 13.5% $25 
Restrained in scent, a classic hint of fusel character comes through as this dry Riesling opens up. The palate is graceful with elegant flavors of white peach and green apple accented with white pepper. There's a touch of tongue-coating glycerol and very mild - especially for Riesling - acidity that create a very easy-going palate feel. This finishes crisp, clean and rather short, but it is a pleasurable wine overall.
Drink: 2021-22 

Reds
93*
Lagrein Furggl 2016 13.5% $37
Deep, dark and brooding, this wine looks "big". Its plethora of fresh, forest fruit aromas, jolly acidity and sculpted tannins develop into a tantalizing and moreish patina. The concentrated palate expands into a cornucopia of elderberry, black currants and licorice. The balance is sublime, and the minerally, earthy finish lingers with intensity. One for the table today and more for the cellar over the next several years.
Drink: 2021-26 

92
Pinot Noir Riserva Vigna Kofl 2017 13.5% $48
Peter has vineyards starting at 230-1030 meters, and the Vigna Kofl is the highest vineyard. In fact, the Pinot Noir Riserva Vigna Kofl is the highest single vineyard wine produced in Alto Adige at 3,380 feet. This small production wine delivers excellent value in the relatively pricey realm of Pinot Nero from anywhere on the planet.  

The color of morello cherries, this 2017 Kofl has a soft yet magnanimous nose packed with plum and cherry liqueur edged by touches of lilac. The palate is succulent yet elegant with tender, fine-grained tannins. A pop of toasty oak surfaces on the palate, too, where pronounced acidity delivers mouthwatering refreshment. This along with the medium finish, pristine clean fruit and evolving, complex aromatics as the wine opens in the glass (pomegrante arils and mulberries await) show that this wine will age nicely in bottle. This is a polished Pinot Nero.
Drink: 2021-25 

89
Pinot Noir Rolhüt 2018 13% $21
Mid-depth ruby in color with a watermelon and field strawberry nose, this floral, turned-garden-soil scented wine has easy going tannins, mild but balancing acidity and a juicy fruit core that makes it utterly gluggable. Vinous with cheeky young fruit that turns a bit savory on the back palate, this checks all the boxes, especially after it has benefited from 20-30 minutes of air. While modest in finish, it is plentiful in "yum"! This bottling delivers a lot of Pinot Noir goodness at a very fair price point.
Drink: 2021-23