2023 Sauvignon Quartz
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Tasting notes
The Cantina Terlano 2023 Alto Adige Terlano Sauvignon Quarz (with 55,000 bottles made) offers a slightly softer and less exuberant interpretation of the grape compared to the Winkl, which is all about brightness and primary fruit. The Quarz shows more depth and complexity thanks to a focus on fruit exclusively from steep vineyards (with 10% to 40% inclines at 300 to 550 meters in elevation). It sees a slow ferment with controlled temperatures, and it ages on the fine lees for nine months in a combination of large oak cask and stainless steel.
Critic scores
Average Score
Walter Speller, jancisrobinson.com
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
The 2023 Sauvignon Quarz is remarkably lifted and refined in this vintage, as crushed limes, young kiwis and mint are complicated by a whiff of flint. This is a model of purity, like drinking liquid rocks, with a stern mineral core and cooling acidity that propels its citrus-spiked orchard fruits. A pretty inner sweetness lingers, offset by a sour twang as hints of green melon fade, leaving a salty tinge and the palate salivating for more. This is a riveting expression of Quarz.
Restrained and mineral, this is focused on sage and gooseberries with lemon-pulp aromas and flavors. The medium-bodied palate is vibrant and zesty yet balanced by just enough weight. Polished finish. Drink or hold.
50% was fermented in 30-hl Stockinger French oak casks of 7–11 years old while 50% was fermented in stainless-steel tank. Pale brilliant straw. Lifted nose of greengage with just hints of gooseberry and saline notes. Greengage and lemon palate with mouth-watering acidity but this is not austere or thin at all. A minerally and original expression of Sauvignon Blanc on granite soils. (WS)