In the glass
Aroma: raspberry, currant, blackberry, pepper, clove, cocoa, graphite, licorice
Palate: ripe red fruit, mineral freshness, soft finesse
Deep garnet Lagrein-dominant cuvee from 50-year-old vines in the Bolzano basin: ripe berry fruit with pepper, clove and graphite, complex barrique-and-concrete raising for 27 months total.
What it pairs with
-
Roast beef with herb crust
TAL's firm tannins and dark-fruit core anchor a herb-crusted roast. -
Wild boar stew
The wine's graphite and licorice mirror the deep autumnal register of wild boar. -
Truffle pasta
Earthy black truffles meet TAL's mineral freshness and cocoa note. -
Aged Parmigiano
Crystallized Parmigiano salt lifts the cuvee's barrique spice.
History
TAL Superior (released as TAL 1908 in reference to Kellerei Bozen's Gries winery founding year) is the cellar's Superior Lagrein cuvee. Production is intentionally micro-lot: 2,989 numbered bottles plus 99 magnums of the 2021 release. The blend leverages 50-year-old Lagrein vines as the spine with Cabernet and Merlot for structure.
- 2008 — First vintage released as the cellar's flagship Superior cuvee
- 2021 — 2021 vintage bottled in 2,989 numbered 0.75L bottles plus 99 magnums
Facts
- Producer
- Cantina Bolzano
- Grapes
- Lagrein (83%), Cabernet (12%), Merlot (5%)
- Classification
- DOC Alto Adige
- Oak
- 12 months in French barriques followed by 15 months in concrete vats before bottle ageing
- ABV
- 14.0%
- Price
- EUR 60-90 at retail
- Drinking window
- 5-20 from vintage
- First vintage
- 2008
Frequently asked about TAL Superior
What does TAL Superior taste like?
Deep garnet with raspberry, currant and blackberry fruit alongside pepper, clove, cocoa, graphite and licorice. The palate is complex with mineral freshness, pleasant acidity and soft finesse on the finish.
When should I drink TAL Superior?
Drink between 5 and 20 years from vintage. The producer specifies 15+ years of cellaring potential; younger vintages benefit from 90 minutes of decanting.
What grapes are in TAL Superior?
83% Lagrein, 12% Cabernet and 5% Merlot, sourced from vines up to 50 years old in the Bolzano basin.
How limited is TAL Superior?
Production is micro-lot: the 2021 vintage was 2,989 numbered 0.75 L bottles plus 99 magnums.