Caroline 2021

Caroline 2021 is the white cuvée from Pranzegg estate, an orange wine from South Tyrol that favours tension over sheer weight. It keeps shifting in the glass: at first stubborn and reductive-nutty, then quietly spiced and open. A decanter helps it along.

The vines grow at around 400 metres above sea level on the steep slopes above Bolzano. The sites face northwest, are shaded by forest and swept by cool downdraughts, with volcanic soils of porphyry, basalt and granite. Martin Gojer has preserved many of the old pergola trellises; they shade the ground and allow ripeness without over-ripeness.

The cuvée comes from a mixed white planting of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Viognier and Manzoni Bianco, with proportions varying from year to year. Hand-harvested, co-fermented, six days on the skins with around 60% whole clusters with stems. After racking, one year on full lees in barrel, then eleven months in concrete. Spontaneous fermentation, no fining, no filtration, 12.5% vol.

The wine picks up the aromas from the nose: herbal tea, chamomile and dried hay flowers, alongside soft yellow apple, lemon blossom, orange zest, green mandarins and white pepper. These are carried by a powdery, soft bed of tannin, the silky texture coating the mouth. The acidity stays mild yet still drives forward. Of the fruit, what remains is skin, core and extract, with a finish that feels ethereally cool.

The wine is named after Martin Gojer's daughter. Martin and Marion have farmed biodynamically since 2009 on just under four hectares; eight Ouessant miniature sheep graze between the pergola rows, keeping the growth beneath the vines short.