The terraced Kastelaz vineyard is located near the town of Tramin and is planted to Gewürztraminer and Merlot at 350 meters above sea level. This panoramic vineyard site gives rise to the beautiful 2017 Alto Adige Gewürztraminer Kastelaz. This fragrant and abundant wine delivers beautiful tones of white rose, candied orange peel, wild herb and honey. This is a dry wine with impressive textural richness. The wine sees six hours of skin contact and is fermented at cool temperatures (18 degrees Celsius) in stainless steel to lock in those floral aromas. Some 14,000 bottles were produced.

The Elena Walch 2016 Alto Adige Gewürztraminer Kastelaz is a phenomenal wine with the richness and the textural density that is so distinctively crafted at this leading Northern Italian estate. The bouquet is fragrant and bright with an outstanding level of balanced intensity. White flowers, orange blossom, tangerine and sweet honey peel off the top. There is a pleasing vein of mineral dryness that brings the wine back to center. The 2016 vintage is outstanding.

The 2015 Alto Adige Gewürztraminer Kastelaz is a tight and well defined white wine that is characterized by a sharp mineral tone that cuts straight through the core of this fresh white wine. Vibrant background tones of stone fruit, citrus and honeydew melon give the wine substance and depth. The mouthfeel is broadly textured and firm.

Opening to a bright, off-gold color, the 2012 Alto Adige Gewürztraminer Kastelaz opens to explosive varietal aromas of lychee fruit, passion fruit, guava and pear with light tones of nutmeg and dried ginger. There’s a characteristic touch of petroleum and church incense that adds to the wine’s buoyancy and aromatic lift. A soft, luscious mouthfeel is capped by a noticeable 6.6 grams per liter of residual sugar.