Pinot Noir can be elegant and engaging like few other wines in the world, it “captures” its terroir and returns it in the glass only if well interpreted and respected, and must be planted and trained in specific sites that are able to convey its multifaceted personality. For most winemakers around the world Pinot Noir is one of the most exciting challenges to take. It is no coincidence, therefore, that it has found itself for many decades in the vineyards of Cantina Girlan.
A story full of passion and dedication
Pinot Noir, an ongoing journey
Since the 1980s, the production of Pinot Noir has increased from 20 hectares to the current 40, and brought up wines like Patricia Pinot Noir and Trattmann Pinot Noir Riserva. As a result, Pinot Noir has become the undisputed protagonist of Cantina Girlan’s production, as well as the subject of research and analyses.
With the arrival of winemaker Gerhard Kofler and director Oscar Lorandi, the production of Pinot Noir has increasingly been directed towards the individuation of 3 specific crus, with the aim of enhancing its characteristics and becoming an example of quality for many Pinot Noir-lovers over the world.
The research method
This in-depth research that Cantina Girlan has undergone over years, in search of the best sites for the cultivation of Pinot Noir, has led to a detailed analysis of the variety’s behaviour within individual crus, parcel by parcel, through different microvinifications. Here, the difference of their climatic and geological conditions, the orientation of the vineyards and the age of the vines have been carefully considered.
3 Cru
The cru of Girlan has vineyards that extend between 450 and 500 metres above sea level. Its soils are characterized by the presence of morainic deposits on a porphyritic volcanic rock. In the small village of Pinzon, on the other hand, the soils are constituted by a limestone and clay and the vineyards are oriented towards the south-west, at an altitude between 400 and 450 metres above sea level. The cru of Mazon is considered one of Italy’s best sites for the cultivation of Pinot Noir, being its soils rich in clay and limestone. The vineyards are oriented towards west and extend between 360 and 430 metres above sea level.
5 labels
This intense study has resulted in 5 Pinot Noir labels - Patricia, Flora, Trattmann, Curlan and Vigna Ganger - which enhance the peculiarities of these crus. Patricia and Flora blend the grapes of the three sites with different percentages, with the aim of obtaining wines of great balance. Trattmann combines Mazon’s elegance and Girlan’s personality in equal parts. Finally, Curlan and Vigna Ganger represent the purest expression that can be obtained from individual parcels: the former expresses the power and freshness of Girlan, while the latter enhances the refined elegance that comes from Mazon’s monopole vineyard.
