The 2011 Alto Adige Lagrein opens to midnight blackness and elegant tones of blackberry, leather, moist earth and tobacco. The Lagrein grape can sometimes lead to rustic-feeling wines but that is not the case here. In fact, this is one of the most elegantly contained and carefully crafted expressions I have tasted this year. The wine offers a true sense of smoothness and grace that shows the potential of this grape that had ultimately enjoyed more notoriety in its native Alto Adige than abroad.