Two small particles at different altitudes and a rigorous selection of the best Pinot Noir grapes give life to Aton Gran Cuvee Riserva 2017 Alto Adige Doc.
A small production of only 2,735 bottles, which takes its name from the sun god of ancient Egypt, for the latest addition to the Walch family
It’s hard not to fall in love with the Elena Walch company. Not only for the kindness in the welcome, of which Elena and her daughters Julia and Karoline give proof to anyone who visits their reality in the magnificent territory of Alto Adige, but for the dedication that all of them dedicate to the continuous research of excellence in all their wines.
“Our winery was founded in 1869 by the great great grandfather so we are now in the fifth generation – says Karoline – but everything really changed with my mother, Elena”.
Born and raised in Milan, architect profession, Elena moves to South Tyrol for love and more precisely to Tramin, land of the Gewürztraminer. Here she was immediately fascinated by the beauty of the vineyards and territories and decided to devote herself to quality viticulture, starting to make some changes to her husband’s winery, one of the oldest in the region, applying modernization concepts of the traditional company, such as the passage from the pergola to the guyot, the use of barriques and sustainable agriculture techniques.
“In the end she not only fell in love with my father, but also with his vineyards – jokes Karoline – then in 1988 she expressed the desire to see her name on the label and so Elena Walch was born”
Over the years, a lot has been achieved, as demonstrated by the numerous awards obtained, and today the two girls manage the company, also transferring their ideas and experiences acquired abroad, between France and Australia and also pursuing a very important started with Elena: careful quality control starting from the soil, also following the principles of biodynamic agriculture in respect of nature.
“We went a step forward both with the new fermentation cellar, which allows us to create wines where you need to work in great detail, such as the Aton – explains Julia – and by adopting a more French approach, native to Burgundy, which is to work on the particles. Our identity today is more linked to innovation and research, but with an approach that starts from the ground, therefore from a specific particle, of which we follow the entire path, even in the cellar “.
Sons of very steep and extreme vineyards, with a slope of 63% and a completely southern exposure, Elena Walch wines are a truly authentic and bold expression of the superb terroir. Research and innovation are deeply linked to the historicity of the cellar, of which we find traces in the spectacular hand-carved barrels , which tell moments of peasant life and which are still used today for short refinements in wood.
The underground fermentation cellar is at the forefront of current technologies and is one of the most modern fermentation cellars nationwide. Based on the principle of gravity, the winery is designed to treat whole berries, transporting the grapes with a conveyor belt from an extremely delicate collection point. This technique guarantees a very smooth movement up to the conical tanks, further aiming at an optimization of the quality, especially of red wines.
ATON
Doctor wine Daniele Cernilli officially presented it as a preview by inserting it in a parterre of Pinot noir of excellence and offering a beautiful journey in which the “Aton” stage was known to stand out for its elegance, power and refinement. With a small production of only 2,735 bottles , “Aton” takes the name of the Egyptian God of the sun , represented by a luminous solar disk that rises above all the other divinities: Aten is the origin of light and life. And so Aton saw the light in 2017, after a very long research that led to the selection of two very small particles: one of five hectares and the other of only two hectares. Kastelaz , at an altitude of 600 meters, hosts vineyards of about 60 years of age: very low yield and very concentrated grapes with high potential for longevity. The remarkable temperature range present in this vineyard gives the wine elegance, finesse and freshness. The Kastel Rimperg vineyard is a little lower, we are at 400 meters and enjoys a slightly milder climate with limestone gravel soils that bring structure and body to the wine. The long history of Pinot Noir in South Tyrol has strongly accompanied the development of the wine region and the history of the Elena Walch company, who has always believed in this grape variety. A tangible example of this is the success encountered by Elena Walch with the Pinot Noir “Ludwig” which, year after year, is confirmed as one of the best Italian Pinot Noirs.
With Pinot Noir Ludwig we studied and elaborated our approach to this vine – explains Karoline – We worked very carefully, exploring all its facets and, thanks to the variety of vineyards on the estate, we realized that two specific vineyard plots gave very particular fruits and different from the rest of the collection. From this observation followed years of research and a very strict selection, up to 2017, when we gave the “go” to what we consider the maximum expression of Pinot Noir.
Among the future projects of Elena Walch there will be a Trento Doc (the longing for the tasting begins now).
