Cantina Terlan A. A. Lagrein Gries Riserva DOC 2017

JS 93 / WA 92+ / AG 92 pts

JS: Blackberries and brambleberries with smoke and mahogany on the nose. Medium to full body with a tight, fruity palate, fine tannins and a savory finish. Orange peel, too. Drink now.

WA: The Cantina Terlano 2017 Alto Adige Lagrein Riserva Gries stands apart from the estate’s Lagrein Riserva Porphyr, thanks to a slightly more tart and acidic fruit profile. Like the other wine, the Gries primarily delivers dark fruit intensity with plum cake and black cherry; however, you also get some zesty spice and crisp forest fruit that makes your mouth pucker. There is a lot of pretty energy and intensity in this Northern Italian Lagrein.

AG : The 2017 Lagrein Gries Riserva coats the glass with an inky purple color, as a bouquet of tart black cherry mixes with notes of sweet violet candies, graphite, savory herbs and undergrowth. Its velvety textures are complemented by ripe red/blue fruits, reeled in by a mix of salty minerals and grippy tannins, as inner floral tones amass toward the finale. This is a big wine, to be sure, yet its oak influence is perfectly integrated, along with structural stuffing to carry it for many years in the cellar.