Manincor “La Contessa” 2024

Manincor "La Contessa" 2024 is a South Tyrolean white blend from the Terlano and Caldaro districts of Alto Adige, a Pinot Bianco, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc cuvée that has become one of the estate's most sought-after labels for its rare marriage of alpine freshness and real depth.

Manincor traces its winemaking history back to 1662, though the modern era of the estate began in 1991, when Michael Graf Goëss-Enzenberg and his family took over the storied property near Caldaro. Since then, the family has farmed its vineyards biodynamically, converting the roughly 50-hectare estate to organic and biodynamic practices and building a striking gravity-flow cellar designed to handle fruit as gently as possible. Their commitment to sustainable, low-intervention farming has made Manincor one of the benchmark producers of South Tyrol, respected for wines that express site and variety with unusual precision.

This blend leans on Pinot Bianco for its largest share, joined by Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, each vinified separately in large wooden casks before coming together. In the glass, the 2024 shows a luminous straw yellow with greenish reflections. The bouquet is layered and inviting, with orchard fruit like apple and apricot mingling with orange blossom, chamomile, and a touch of sage. On the palate it is dense yet elegant, full-bodied and creamy in texture, with bright acidity and fine mineral tension carrying through to a long, harmonious finish.

It's a wine that shows just how much complexity a mountain cuvée can hold: rich enough for special occasions, yet lifted by the kind of freshness only high-altitude fruit can give.