Bergmannhof, “Kålch” Bordeaux Blend Sale

Bergmannhof, “Kålch” Bordeaux Blend

I’m keeping the second part of our Bergmannhof feature short because the cuvée itself is in absurdly short supply: Less than 100 cases were produced, and well under 100 bottles were allotted for sale in America. If you missed this morning’s piece, here’s a quick summation:

One day soon, the remarkable wines of Bergmannhof will hold the same reverence and fame that Nusserhof and Foradori already command. After personally visiting Alto Adige two months ago, I’m convinced these are some of the most exciting artisanal reds of Northern Italy…all of Italy…all of Europe. However, this afternoon’s special cuvée is far different from the Vernatsch on offer this morning. This is an endlessly powerful, soulful, über-luxurious blend of organic Cabernet Franc and Merlot that matured 24 months in new oak and 24 more in bottle before a micro-scale release months ago. If you love investment-grade “garagiste-level” Bordeaux with profound muscle and polish, here’s a collectible that will intimidate Right Bank labels worth hundreds. No more than three bottles per person.

With just a few hectares of vine on the outskirts of Bolzano, the Pichlers have been proud grape growers in their locale of Eppan since the mid-1800s. Wine bearing the “Bergmannhof” name, however, didn’t come until 1978 when Karl and Josef Pichler, fueled by their family’s generations-deep expertise, began crafting their own wines. Today, Karl’s grandson, Johannes, overseas their small-scale operation with fastidious detail via manual vineyard work, organic certification, and the minimal output of emissions as a member of the “Climate Neutral Alliance.”

When the Südtirol was part of Austria, it was considered part of the “warm” south and therefore better suited to red wine production. The capital city, Bolzano, which sits in a basin at the confluence of the Isarco and Adige Rivers, gets very hot in the summer, and warm air currents rush up through the Adige Valley from Lake Garda to the south. The most-planted red grape here is Schiava (also known as Vernatsch and Trollinger), and it’s long been the “workhorse” of the Italian Dolomites. That said, international grapes such as today’s blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot have also been planted here for many generations/centuries. “Kålch” is Bergmannhof’s ode to those former years. 

Their sliver of organic Cabernet Franc and Merlot vines are aged between 10-30 years. The Merlot is manually harvested in late September, followed by Cab Franc in early October. Vinification in open-top tonneaux is triggered by spontaneous yeasts with 30% stem inclusion. Following, the resulting wine matures on its lees in new tonneaux for 24 months. It is bottled unfined/unfiltered and laid back down to rest for an additional 24 months before exiting the cellar. 

In Bergmannhof’s 2017 “Kålch,” there’s a lot to love and nothing to dislike if you’re a frequent consumer of polished, deep, savory Right Bank reds. It spills into a large Bordeaux stem with an opaque dark ruby hue and, at 60 degrees, emits opulent aromas of cassis, black raspberry liqueur, and roasted plums alongside tobacco leaf, menthol, crushed black rock, cedar, clove, cigar wrapper, and pencil lead. The palate is full-bodied and absolutely overflowing with dense yet lifted black/red fruits that have infused themselves into a smoky, savory, mineral backbone. It’s going to leave your jaw on the floor, especially if you sneak it into a $100+ Bordeaux blind tasting. Enjoy now and throughout the decade.