Notes from Polaner Selections:

"Franz Gojer is a master of Schiava and Lagrein. These two varieties which find their homes in the northern reaches of the Alto Adige are about as far from the mainstream as you can get, but each is a truly unique and vibrant example of the best that this mountainous region can produce. Franz inherited his winery in 1982. His winery, called Glögglhof, is located on a small hill just north of the town of Bolzano in the center of the Santa Maddalena appellation. He has six hectares of vineyards with an additional two that he leases. From these vineyards he produces about 45,000 bottles per year. The vineyards are all located on fairly steep hillsides with the vines trained in the traditional Pergola system. For the Schiava, they plant mainly on well aerated sandy soils, while the Lagrein is planted on stony, alluvial soils in the wash of the Isarco River. All the vineyards have a fair amount of volcanic porphyry rocks interspersed with chunks of granite and gneiss.

In the vineyards, all the work has to be done painstakenly by hand, including the harvest. The wines are fermented in tank using selected yeasts (trials over several vintages using indigenous yeasts did not yield the desired results). After pressing, the fermented must is transferred to large botti for an elevage of 8 to 9 months before being bottled. Only the Lagrein Riserva is aged in barrique, with about 30% new wood used each year. All the wines are held in bottle for several months before being released."

About the cuvee:

Gojer's "Granat" Lagrein comes from their Furggl vineyard, situated on alluvial soil. Winemaking is deliberately simple, to allow the purity of the fruit to shine through. After fermentation in stainless steel vats, with roughly ten days maceration time, the wine is aged for 6 months in large neutral oak casks.

Heady aromas of ripe, electric boysenberry fruit meld with savory undertones of graphite and moist soil. The palate offers a similar balance of pleasant and savory, with bright, ripe, purple fruits mingling pleasantly with brooding mineral tones. Though the brightness of the fruit reflects the sunny climate of Alto Adige, it does not tip into overripe, baked fruits - freshness, and juicy acidity, are the keys to this wine's balance and quality.