Sophie DOC 2024

Emphatic yet disciplined: ripe yellow fruit held in check by alpine freshness. A wine with youthful charm and adult ambition, one that doesn't yet fully reveal its individual parts in its youth.

The grapes grow in the Lieben Aich vineyard in Terlan, as well as in Mazzon and Leiten in Kaltern, on calcareous loess-clay soils over weathered porphyry bedrock. Manincor farms 50 hectares around Kaltern, biodynamically since 2005. The cellar, built into the slope, operates without pumps, relying on gravity; the cool rock keeps the temperature constant.

92% Chardonnay, complemented by 4% Viognier and 4% Sauvignon Blanc. The destemmed berries sit in the press for about four hours, after which the must ferments spontaneously in wooden barrels of various sizes. This is followed by around nine months on fine lees in wood. 13.0% vol., dry.

On the nose, yellow pome and stone fruit through to melon, distinctly floral with acacia and linden blossom, plus cool minerality. The entry is powerful, with pressure building toward the mid-palate: dense, with restrained fruit, gripping structure and creamy richness from the time spent in wood. Subtle notes of brioche, a faintly pulsing bass note in the warm, lingering finish. Still a little unpolished in its youth, which is why large glasses or a few years of bottle age serve it well.

Pan-fried turbot with beurre blanc, poussin with morels, herb-crusted saddle of veal or truffle risotto. Also tagliatelle with porcini and aged Comté.

Named after Countess Sophie Goëss-Enzenberg, the Sophie belongs to the estate's Herz line, its single-vineyard wines. Michael Count Goëss-Enzenberg took over Manincor in 1991; since 2008, Helmuth Zozin has co-managed the estate as director. 463 hectares of orchards, vines, forest and meadows form a biodynamic whole; chickens, sheep and bees are part of it, with herbal teas replacing synthetic sprays.