Foradori "Fontanasanta" Manzoni Bianco, Trentino Alto-Adige, Italy 2022

FROM LOUIS/DRESSNER

THE WINE: This is a single vineyard expression from the Fontanasanta vineyard. Manzoni Bianco is an early-20th-century crossing of Riesling and Pinot Bianco. It was created by Luigi Manzoni ; he created a slew of hybrid grapes of which Manzoni Bianco (or Incrocio Manzoni 6.0.13) is considered the most successful.

Fermentation is on the skins in cement tanks, followed by 12 months of aging in acacia casks. S02 is usually added only at bottling, between 40-50mg/l. In warm vintages with low PH, it may be added after malolactic fermentation.

THE PRODUCER: Elisabetta’s journey in her “wine life” is a familiar tale, but one that we never tire of hearing. The early death of her father unexpectedly hurtled her to the management of the family estate. Though “born among the vines” as she says, she took the helm at first more from a sense of duty than one of passion or vocation. Eventually, however, that passion and vocation came through the work itself, both in the vines and in the cellar.

Despite her star rising as "the queen of Teroldego" throughout the 1990's, by 2000 Elisabetta had lost all personal connection to her work. A path of questioning, experimentation and intuition (including everything from biodynamics, massale selection and the use of amphorae) eventually led her to give up any sense of chasing market trends of the “wine industry” to develop the estate towards the goal of making wines respectful of the soil and the local grapes she wants to honor, and using the techniques she found more interesting, less invasive, and more wine “holistic”.

Even with a proven track record, starting from scratch does not always guarantee success. Decisions like progressively replanting the majority of the land from pergola to guyot, radically changing vinifications, producing single vineyard expressions of Teroldego (in amphora no less!); there was no way to know if this would resonate with established or new customers. Still, Elisabetta stayed true to her instincts and, as we now know, kept her proverbial throne.

Elisabetta is still very much a daily presence and "the face" for most of the winery's fans. But if you've been following the estate over the last decade it's likely you've met and interacted with her three children Emilio, Theo and Myrtha. All three are lovely and very much evolving the winery into its next phase of existence.

Emilio, the eldest son, has been around the longest and, unbeknownst to most, has headed the viticulture for quite some time. And after many years in the with his mother, he's been solely responsable for making the wines since 2013. His brother Theo travels the most to represent the winery. He also communicates with people like us (importers, distributors) and is and integral part of the winemaking since 2016, serving as a confidant and advisor to Emilio.