producers visit

<p><strong><em>This visit at Weingut Nusserhof took place in April, 2012.</em></strong></p> <p><strong><em>Words by Jules Dressner, photos by Lauren Feldman, Shawn Mean and Ian Becker.</em></strong></p> <p><strong>NOTE</strong>: Elda Mayr talked about how social media annoys her to no end and how she still likes living in a world of semi-privacy, so to honor her right to not to be flaunted all over the internet (a choice I respect and agree with), there will be no pictures of her in this post.<br /> <br /> The Nusserhof <glossary title="427">estate</glossary> is a post-modern anomaly of urbanization. The original 2.5 <glossary title="523">hectares</glossary> of vines are located right off the highway, in the center of&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="174">Bolzano</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> the capitol&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="97">Tyrol</glossary><span>.</span></span></span></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_12//e0/56/e056f62912ab64ecef423b796ec8db76.jpg" /><br /> <br /> In the background, you can see many of the modern buildings that completely surround the Mayr&#39;s farm (most of which were built in the 1970&#39;s). Before World War 2, the city was much smaller (more like the size of a town), and the area&#39;s warm climate favored a traditional <glossary title="78">agricultural</glossary> economy of nuts, fruits, grapes and wine. After the war, a train station was built, making access to the far removed mountain town a lot easier. This was the beginning of a complete transformation of <glossary title="174">Bolzano&#39;s</glossary> landscape.</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_12//bf/a4/bfa4b0635d4b54dd3051323c9776e706.jpg" /><br /> <br /> These photos are featured in the Mayr&#39;s tasting room. Both were taken from the same location: the one on the right shows <glossary title="174">Bolzano</glossary> a few years after the war, and the one on the left depicts what the city looks like today. You may have to squint a little, but the big highway at the bottom of the left-hand picture is what the Mayr&#39;s live next to. As you can see, most of the green got replaced by concrete and, as Elda explained, by the late 70&#39;s, farm culture had been almost completely erased to accomodate the ever increasing amount of summer tourists.&nbsp;<br /> <br /> This hasn&#39;t deterred Heinrich or Elda; they are the latest generation of their family to work this land, where the records date back to at least 1788. The name&nbsp;<em>Nusserhof</em>&nbsp;comes from the walnut trees that once lined the house on the river side. Not so long ago they were torn out to put in a municipal bike path. As the years have gone by, the urban environs of <glossary title="">Bolzano</glossary> have encroached the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="427">estate</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> with the city systematically making it harder and harder for the Mayrs to continue their farming. It is believed that the only reason the <glossary title="427">estate</glossary> is still in existence is due to the fact that one of Heinrich&rsquo;s relatives was an early opponent of the Nazi occupation and died as a Catholic martyr and conscientious objecter in a concentration camp.<br /> <br /> After our history lesson, it was time for a quick tour of the vines.&nbsp;</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_12//85/c8/85c80bc916e6b924eb4270969f0eb1b2.jpg" /><br /> <br /> The 2.5 <glossary title="523">hectares</glossary> of vines are a mix of&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="164">Blatterle</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> <glossary title="576">Lagrein</glossary> and&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1020">Teroldego</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> all on <glossary title="909">sandy</glossary> soils with <glossary title="502">granite</glossary> <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="991">subsoil</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> All the vines are equipped with <glossary title="549">irrigation</glossary> systems (the norm in this very hot region) but Heinrich uses them only in June/July and if necessary. For example, in 2011 he only <glossary title="549">irrigated</glossary> the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="164">Blatterle</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> and very little at that. The entire <glossary title="427">estate</glossary> is <glossary title="260">certified organic</glossary> by the German association&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="161">Bioland</glossary><span>.</span></span></span>&nbsp;<br /> <br /> We then checked out the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="254">cellar</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> Everything is <glossary title="441">fermented</glossary> in&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="986">stainless steel</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> aged one&nbsp;or two&nbsp;years in 500l <glossary title="142">barrels</glossary> for the reds, then one&nbsp;or two&nbsp;years in bottle. &quot;<glossary title="164">Blaterle</glossary>&quot;is all&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="986">stainless</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> and Heinrich uses small, <glossary title="210">Burgundian</glossary> <glossary title="142">barrels</glossary>&nbsp;for the &quot;Tyroldego&quot;<span class="zalup"><span><span>.</span></span></span> The <glossary title="254">cellar</glossary> is tiny so it was a quick visit; we stepped out and it was time to taste!</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_12//26/19/2619026ffac07371a1a74fe7d4358be9.jpg" /><br /> <br /> We started with the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="164">Blatterle</glossary><span>:</span></span></span> this grape in <glossary title="1139">indigenous</glossary> to the <glossary title="174">Bolzano</glossary> plain, and was traditionally used to make <glossary title="700">must</glossary> or sweet, partially <glossary title="441">fermented</glossary> wine. Only three&nbsp;producers still grow it, and collectively this only represents 1,5 <font color="#7b143e"><strong><glossary term="Hectare" title="523">hectares</glossary></strong></font>! In fact, Heindrich is the biggest <glossary title="164">Blatterle</glossary> producer in the world! <glossary title="164">Blatterle</glossary> is actually spelled with&nbsp;<strong>two T&#39;s</strong>, but Heinrich made the intentional typo in the wine&#39;s name because. up until 2011, you could not put the grape of the wine from his region. This is also the case with the &quot;Tyroldego&quot;&nbsp;(funny aside: the first <glossary title="1020">Teroldego</glossary> I ever tasted was the &quot;Tyroldego&quot;&nbsp;when I worked at<font color="#7b143e"><strong>&nbsp;</strong></font>Terroir SF, so at first I thought&nbsp;<a href="http://louisdressner.com/producers/foradori/" target="_blank">Elisabetta Foradori</a>&nbsp;was spelling it wrong). The law just changed, but Heinrich thinks he&#39;s going to keep the typo anyway.<br /> <br /> After the grapes are&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="378">destemmed</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> Heinrich does a six&nbsp;hour&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="964">slow&nbsp;press</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> then <glossary title="441">ferments</glossary> the wine in&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="986">stainless steel</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> We tasted 2010, 2011 and 2002, which had evolved beautifully. We then tried <glossary title="576">Lagrein</glossary> <glossary title="871">Ros&eacute;</glossary> from 2010, 2011 (<glossary term="Tank Sample" title="1008">tank</glossary>) and 2001. The wine had developed with age; it was rounder and more <glossary title="990">structured</glossary> but hadn&#39;t lost any of its&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="71">acidity</glossary><span>.</span></span></span>&nbsp;<br /> <br /> Next was the <glossary title="576">Lagrein</glossary> &nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="874">Rosso</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> Elda explained that traditionally, <glossary title="576">Lagrein</glossary> (also an <glossary title="1139">indigenous</glossary> <glossary title="1071">varietal</glossary>) had always been used to make simple, easy&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="871">ros&eacute;</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> For better or worst, the <glossary title="178">Bordeaux</glossary> influence of the 70&#39;s/80&#39;s led a lot of local <glossary title="1089">vignioli</glossary> to start <glossary title="441">fermenting</glossary> and <glossary title="74">aging</glossary> <glossary title="576">Lagrein</glossary> in <glossary title="144">barrique</glossary> in hopes of creating <glossary title="990">structured</glossary> red wine. So red <glossary title="576">Lagrein</glossary> has only really existed for 25 years. Heinrich insists on <glossary title="441">fermenting</glossary> it in <glossary title="986">stainless steel</glossary> to create a lighter, more elegant wine. We tasted 2009, 2010 and the 1995!&nbsp;</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_12//79/04/7904daff4e81e7a3157e0af701906d11.jpg" /><br /> <br /> Overall, the 2010&#39;s were the unanimous favorites, but the 2009&#39;s were also great and 2011 shows a lot of promise. After all that tasting, it was time for some lunch, which was definitely one of the best meals of the trip. Because a picture speaks a thousand words:</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_12//af/50/af503a2b0d774baf7f10aa1ec26f039e.jpg" /><br /> <br /> Look at that slice of tongue! Not pictured: local bread and cheese dumplings called&nbsp;<em>canederli</em>.<br /> <br /> Lunch ended with a walnut-centric dessert with a delicious walnut liqueur made by Heinrichs&#39; 89 year old aunt. We still had some time left, so Heinrich proposed we visit the Elda vineyard.&nbsp;</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_12//cb/87/cb870ae9405d54436708ece1682c4cb5.jpg" /></p> <p>This vineyard is also right off the highway.&nbsp;</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Aug_12//95/1c/951cd52ff1121e0f028c9a4be30e9fc0.jpg" /></p> <p>The <glossary title="363">cuv&eacute;e</glossary> is named after Ms. Mayr herself, and the grape is&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1050">Schiava</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> It&#39;s grown on <glossary title="816">Porphyry</glossary> (an <glossary title="547">iron</glossary> rich <glossary title="502">granite</glossary>) and&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="909">sand</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> Heinrich rents this <glossary title="760">parcel</glossary> from the same 89 year old aunt who made the walnut liqueur, and she was actually there, hanging out in overalls and <glossary title="810">plowing</glossary> the soil! Heinrich told her we&#39;d drank her liqueur for dessert: with a big smile, she brought an imaginary glass to her mouth, made believe to drink, said something that I didn&#39;t understand (but that was definitely about drinking her walnut liqueur), and let out a content, hearty laugh. We all thanked her for her good job while she laughed and smiled at us the whole time. I can&#39;t blame her: being 89 and having a dozen Americans compliment you on the walnut liqueur they just tasted a half-hour ago is indeed a pretty funny scenario. My biggest regret of the trip is that no one took a photo of her; she was so old yet full of life, and it was an absolute pleasure to meet her.</p>

article

<p><strong>How the wonderful Mayr-N&uuml;sserhof Blatterle became a &quot;B.......&quot; wine:</strong></p> <p>When the Mayr family bought the N&uuml;sserhof farm in 1788, <glossary term="Südtirol" title="992">Tirol</glossary> was a country, France hadn&#39;t had a revolution yet, Andreas Hofer (trans. note: the future commander of the <glossary term="Südtirol" title="992">Tyrolean</glossary> insurrection against Napoleon) had just traded his first horses, sold his first&nbsp;<glossary term="Barrel" title="142">barrels</glossary> of wine and the view from the Nusserhof extended all the way to the church. Today, the Nusserhof is the only original piece of land hasn&#39;t been devoured by the expanding town of<span class="zalup"><span>&nbsp;<glossary term="Bolzano" title="174">Bolzano</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> and is all that remains of the once green Bozner land.</p> <p>Surrounded by walls and bordering the Eisack Dam, the Mayr&#39;s family <glossary term="Estate" title="427">estate</glossary> resembles a French &quot;<font color="#7b143e"><b>clos</b></font>&quot;: an enclosed vineyard. But while such a thing is respected, even venerated in France, Germany or Austria &ndash;countries where old traditions and <glossary term="Old Vines" title="740">old vines</glossary> are being defended against the fast moving Zeitgeist&ndash; the quiet, stoical Heinrich Mayr-Nusser and his entrepreneurial wife Elda remain quaint outsiders in the <glossary term="Südtirol" title="992">South Tyrolean</glossary> wine landscape. This despite the fact that the <glossary term="Blatterle" title="164">Blatterle</glossary> grape was the most common variety in the Bozen area as recently as the 19th century! An <glossary term="Indigenous" title="1139">indigenous</glossary> vine that, one would assume, would mean protecting the last remaining&nbsp;<glossary term="Blatterle" title="164">Blatterle</glossary> area like Noah&#39;s Ark (note: Nusserhof is one of only three remaining producers growing&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Blatterle" title="164">Blatterle</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> and has the highest holdings of the three).</p> <p>But Saint Bureaucratus sees things differently: no large conglomerate cared for the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Blatterle" title="164">Blatterle</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> so it fell to the wayside and doesn&#39;t have&nbsp;<glossary term="DOC" title="1156">DOC</glossary> status, just like the real Wei&szlig;terlaner by the way, which still yields a few bottles thanks to the steadfast Waschtl Stocker. If you sow bureaucrats, a North <glossary term="Südtirol" title="992">Tyrolean</glossary> grouser once remarked, you will reap insanity!</p> <p>In the case of the N&uuml;sserhof&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Blatterle" title="164">Blatterle</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> that means that Saint Bureaucratus doesn&#39;t allow the word <glossary term="Blatterle" title="164">Blatterle</glossary> on the <glossary term="Wine Label" title="573">label</glossary> of a wine made from authentic&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Blatterle" title="164">Blatterle</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> So the brave Elda and Heinrich quickly chopped off a &quot;t&quot; on their <glossary term="Wine Label" title="573">labels</glossary> and <glossary term="Bottling" title="185">bottled</glossary> their &quot;Blaterle&quot; for years without being challenged. Until somebody recently pressed charges and accused Mayr-Nusser of fraud because &quot;Blaterle&quot; sounds much too close to the real, formerly important varietal&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Blatterle" title="164">Blatterle</glossary><span>.</span></span></span>..</p> <p>It&#39;s hard to believe: the last <glossary term="Südtirol" title="992">South Tyrolean</glossary> vintner producing a 100% <glossary term="Blatterle" title="164">Blatterle</glossary> from real <glossary term="Blatterle" title="164">Blatterle</glossary> isn&#39;t allowed to put <glossary term="Blatterle" title="164">Blatterle</glossary> on the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Wine Label" title="573">label</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> If you sow bureaucrats, you will reap insanity. A &quot;fantasy&quot; name would be possible, said the magistrate: Tom, Dick and Harry wine or so. That&#39;s how Elda and Heinrich finally came up with the idea to salvage at least one last letter, and from 2011 <glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintage</glossary> on the labels just say &quot;B.......&quot;.</p> <p>&quot;Nusserhof&#39;s <glossary term="Blatterle" title="164">Blatterle</glossary> was one of the most intriguing whites I encountered... it is surprisingly full of flavor considering its light to medium-bodied texture&quot;, wrote wine pope Robert Parker enthusiastically, giving it 90/100 points. For friends of good taste and healthy opposition to bureaucrats, we are including the Mayr&#39;s address:</p> <p>Elda and Heinrich Mayr, Weingut Nusserhof, Josef-Mayr-Nusser-Weg 72, Bozen &ndash; Tel/Fax 0471 978388 or mobile: 335 6207558</p>

harvest report

<p><u><strong>November 14th, 2007:</strong></u></p> <p>Last November I did a deep <glossary title="810">plowing</glossary> of the soil for <glossary title="73">aeration</glossary> and to break it up. Also to break up the roots on the surface. Because of this the vines were a lot calmer this year, not reacting to rain so strongly.<br /> <br /> Due to a spring that was hot very early, the vines started the year precociously. The <glossary title="1179">flowering</glossary> was at the end of April. Also, the work of defoliation around the grape <glossary title="1138">bunches</glossary> was done in June. In this way the grapes were, from the beginning, exposed to the sun and moving air which allowed the grapes to grow better and to develop better <glossary title="1010">tannins</glossary> in the skin &ndash; an important thing in resisting attacks of&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="737">odium</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> powdery <glossary title="1137">mildew</glossary> or&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="182">gray rot</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> Until mid-June it was hot with little rain. This was followed by a period of variable weather, cool and rainy without creating any problems, Then at the end of August, there was new beautiful weather.<br /> <br /> The <glossary title="164">Blatterle</glossary> was picked this year on August 28th. The grapes were very beautiful, golden and, for the most part, healthy. Bees, wasps and birds diminished the <glossary title="1129">yields</glossary> some; the soft skins and <glossary title="639">maturity</glossary> before the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="576">Lagrein</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> made these grapes very attractive to these pests. The grapes were <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvested</glossary> in little crates and quickly brought to the <glossary title="254">cellar</glossary> one after the other where they were put in the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="827">press</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> A long <glossary title="964">press</glossary> for about six&nbsp;hours gave the best&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="433">extraction</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> After three&nbsp;weeks I <glossary title="843">racked</glossary> it from the <glossary title="515">gross lees</glossary> and into a cool area.<br /> <br /> The <glossary title="576">Lagrein</glossary> was <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvested</glossary> the 8th, 9th and 10th of September, about a month earlier than last year. One could not find a <glossary title="1138">bunch</glossary> with any sign of immature or shriveled grapes. I had 10 harvesters. They grapes were again <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvested</glossary> in small crates and brought immediately to the <glossary title="254">cellar</glossary> where they were <glossary title="378">destemmed</glossary> and put in <glossary title="986">stainless steel</glossary> <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1140">vats</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> It remained three&nbsp;weeks on the skins, <glossary title="843">racked</glossary> and&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="827">pressed</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> The <glossary title="622">malolactic</glossary> happened right after. I am now putting it in large <glossary title="142">barrels</glossary> (<em><glossary title="184">botti</glossary></em>) where it will stay for two&nbsp;years.<br /> <br /> The <glossary title="1020">Teroldego</glossary> (around 10<glossary title="524">hl</glossary> total) and <glossary title="650">Merlot</glossary> (around 3<glossary title="524">hl</glossary>) were harvested right after the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="576">Lagrein</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> The grapes were perfect like the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="576">Lagrein</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> It underwent the same <glossary title="441">fermentation</glossary> as the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="576">Lagrein</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> too.<br /> <br /> For the first time, this year I harvested and <glossary title="1104">vinified</glossary> <glossary term="Schiava/Trollinger" title="1050">Schiava</glossary> (<em>Vernatsch</em>) from the &ldquo;Troutmann&rdquo; farm &ndash; the farm where my mother was born &ndash; a few miles from my vineyard, It is on <glossary title="816">porphyry</glossary> and the plants are very old (over 60 years). We worked the vines in <glossary title="746">organic</glossary> <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1103">viticulture</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> The <glossary title="521">harvest</glossary> was done on the 10th and 11th of September. The <glossary title="1129">yields</glossary> were small (40<glossary title="528">hl/ha</glossary>). <glossary title="1136">Hailstorms</glossary> did some damage and ultimately lowered the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1129">yields</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> The grapes were also very healthy. It was <glossary title="441">fermented</glossary>&nbsp;two&nbsp;weeks on the skins, then a light&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="827">pressing</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> The <glossary title="622">malolactic</glossary> is now done and I will put it in large <glossary title="142">barrels</glossary> in the underground&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="254">cellar</glossary><span>.</span></span></span><br /> <br /> All the wines have a high alcohol level and <glossary term="Acidity" title="71">acidity</glossary> of moderately low levels.</p>