Pinot Noir Kalkofen - Silas Hörler - 2022

75 cl

Alcohol content: 13% vol.

Grape varieties: 100% Pinot Noir

Vinification:

From the Kalkofen vineyard in Maienfeld. In the wine cellar, the grapes undergo what is known as whole-cluster fermentation. This means that the grapes are not separated from the stalk, but ferment without being crushed. Only after approx. 2/3 of the fermentation process are the grapes traditionally crushed with the feet to avoid damaging any seeds. Once the mash has fermented after a further 4 days, it is gently pressed and then filled into French barriques. The wine rests and matures in these barriques until spring. Just like in the old days, when it slowly gets warmer outside, the Pinot Noir Kalkofen begins its second fermentation and then spends another 12 months in the barriques.

Tasting note:

The wine's aroma has many red berry components of strawberries and raspberries as well as fine vanilla and elegant roasted notes from the barrique ageing. On the palate, fine fruity Pinot notes are again paired with a potpourri of spicy flavours. Lots of melting, very soft and elegantly integrated tannins. The juicy acidity complements the overall impression and ensures freshness right through to the long-lasting finish.

Silas Hörler:

Silas Hörler is a cellar master with exceptional enthusiasm. Silas did not complete a classic winemaking apprenticeship as his initial training, but instead opted for an apprenticeship in the catering industry. In addition to his father's well-stocked wine cellar, his apprenticeship as a chef at the 17 Gault Millau-point Blumenau restaurant with master chef Thuri Maag was decisive for his love of wine. Maag let him taste wines blind every day and his first wages as an apprentice went straight into a case of "Bâtard-Montrachet" from Leflaive. Silas Hörler gained his experience at some of the most renowned wineries in Switzerland, including as cellar master at the Davaz winery in Fläsch. Today, Silas Hörler works as operations manager and cellar master at Schloss Salenegg and cultivates his own vines in Fläsch together with his wife Martina. The grapes are pressed by a winemaker friend, as they do not have their own cellar. The wines are absolutely uncompromising, true to his credo: "Every wine, even the simplest, must be a small work of art, then I have achieved my goal." Accordingly, his range of wines is small but convincing across the board. Typical of the terroir, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir take centre stage - and as I said, whether complex or simple, every Silas Hörler wine is a masterpiece.