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Watching the serene, golden atmosphere of the sunrise from the hills of Corte Pavone, my thoughts return to the past and extend into the future. Over there, where the rising sun’s rays shatter the silhouettes of Montal-ino, images are kindled which portray my path of life, youthful ambitions are given solid foundations. The fascination of nature is inexhaustible: vine & wine and everything connected with them become realities. Left behind in the past, though very much in the present, is the part of my life spent in the development of the family business and recently the homeopathic company. The environs of Corte Pavone have changed, the hill appears splendid and prouder, set among new buildings, sloping on three sides and surrounded by vineyards. The estate commands an extensive view of the landscape, the valley, and Siena is in the distance. Gentle, harmonious, as though there were no time scale, the heart is gladdened. 62 years of past, the remainder is dedicated to future energy, drive and creative power. All these elements provide the setting for my whole personality. Among the many beautiful passages in Herman Hesse’s Siddharta is one where the prince, the Enlightened One soon to become The Buddha, is sitting on a river bank and understands that, without chronometry, the past and the future are always in the present, just as the river is there where one can see it, but at the same time is at its source and mouth. The water which has yet to flow past is the morning, but it is already there further upstream, and what has already flowed past is yesterday, though still present somewhere else in the valley. Life flows, a coming and going just like the water in its infinite continuity. All that is old, steadfastly acquired through hard work and experience provides a foundation for young shoots and gives new energy to new innovations, where the past and future are in the present. Wine has played a significant role among great personalities such as painters, poets, musicians, philosophers, in their manner of thinking and creating, aiding their intellectual ideas to take concrete form. “Spiritus non potest habitare in sicco“ – are words ascribed to the Roman priest and theologian Augustine (354 – 430 AD), i.e., “The spirit cannot live in dryness”. Meaning wine of course, to be enjoyed in moderation. I have had plenty of aims in my life up to now, wine has inspired my ideas and creative power to the point where from the fount of these three wine estates we have been able to underpin tenacity, dedication and creativity, so much so that last of all our wine philosophy enables the consumer to combine intellect with the heart. ‘We’ in this context includes the Loacker family and employees.




Hayo Loacker has brought about a number of necessary new developments and improvements in the vineyards, the cellar and administration. His meticulous precision is enormously useful in maintaining an accurate overview of the work carried out in the vineyards and progress in the cellar from the grape through to the wine and bottling. This all requires farsightedness in deciding how to proceed with the wine which is already developing in the cellar, and how to work the vineyards and prepare for the approaching harvest. Then there are wine tastings, trade fairs, customer service and numerous other activities.. Hayo’s advice as enologist at Montalcino revealed his expertise and efficiency, and we thank him for his help. South Tyrol like other regions enjoyed superb climatic conditions during the growing season: high temperatures and sparse rainfall resulted in very ripe grapes while yields were average. The irrigation pumps worked almost non-stop. Otherwise the normal balance between the wines’ components are weighted towards new harmonies: high natural alcohol, discreet acidity and more subtle fruit combined with small amounts of residual sugar. The harvest began on 27th August, a record in the Schwarhof estate, lying at 450 m above sea level. Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Kerner were the first grapes to be picked, followed by Merlot, Vernatsch (Schiava), the Eisacktal/Val Isarco valley white wines and finally Lagrein, Cabernet and Gewürztraminer. Vernatsch (Schiava) has produced surprisingly concentrated wines this year, some with 13% natural alcohol, excellent structure, with a fine backbone of tannin, though without losing their delicate fruit character and easy-drinking qualities. The only difference with past vintages is that the wines are fuller in flavour and body. We hope to enjoy the latest releases with you either at the Schwarhof or at one of the numerous fairs at which we will be present. You will be delighted as we are to find the wines many-facetted, filigreed with an array of nuances, elegantly structured and with an inherent positive energy which will work wonders with your well-being and health.

 



In this estate January and February were very frosty months, with temperatures as low as minus 8° C. Winter pruning was completed during these months. A large part of the young vines were trained using the vertical wire frame trellising method and spur pruning, and a larger yield was expected. Approximately 1.1 hectares of Moscato Rosa vines were planted in March, and we can look forward to an excellent dessert wine to enrich our range in a couple of years. Vine and vineyard husbandry is extremely work-intensive and costly. The pruned shoots had to be fastened on to the wires by the end of March. The weather in 2003 went from one extreme to another, similar to elsewhere in Europe. A sudden frost in April reduced the expected yields by 20-30%, though this has become almost the norm in recent years. March is usually an above average warm month and the vines begin to bud. The unusually long heat wave which lasted until early September caused us to us adapt our methods of canopy management. Work in removing excess foliage and fastening the long shoots was carried out from May and June. Drip irrigation was started from 20th July and lasted until around 20th August in order to enable the vines to maintain the necessary equilibrium in the grapes during the long drought (approx. 3 months). We began picking with great enthusiasm on 21st September, 2003. In spite of the frost yields were acceptable. Sugar levels were unusually high, up to 23% (115° Oechsle) and this was a pleasant surprise. The grapes were all crushed in our new winery buildings. The de-stemmed berries dropped through an aperture into the fermentation cellar without the use of pumps. On the left hand side there is a row of stainless steel fermentation tanks and a row of upright oak fermentation tuns of up to 80 hl. on the right. It was an enormous pleasure for us to be able to ferment the wine in our new facilities. The spontaneous fermentation with such high levels of alcohol was extremely difficult and it took two to three weeks longer than usual for the wines to ferment out. The maturation cellar is accommodated on the same floor, mainly with 32 hl. wooden casks, while the barrique cellar is on the lowest floor (the third), together with the press room and cellar for bottled wines: a delight. Most of the barriques were filled by mid November using only gravity rather than pumps (difference in height) and this is always a fantastic experience. Why do we use barriques and medium-size casks? Once the time comes when the maturation process has progressed to optimum harmony, a certain part of the wine from barriques is blended with that from larger casks. Of course this takes place following intensive tasting sessions. After bottling the bottle-aging process can begin – up to two years for Riservas – and the wine released for sale only when deemed harmonious and ready. Then, with regard to the 2003 vintage, we are of the opinion that the wines are extremely concentrated though with somewhat less acidity than normal, very enjoyable, fruity and enormously generous on the palate. Both Rosso di Montalcino and Brunello are of unusually high quality. Once again a top vintage! The grounds and buildings are almost complete, and the new inauguration is expected to take place in 2005. In order to satisfy the demand among our customers for a typical Tuscan wine offering excellent value for money alongside our top wines we are in the process of making an IGT Rosso Toscano based on Sangiovese.

 



We have been luckier with the weather in this area. There was frost, though damage was limited. However, the heat was even more extreme compared with Montalcino. The last rainfall was in April and the drought lasted until late September, after the grape harvest. Climatic conditions until mid June were problem-free, though from then on the vines suffered severely from the heat and drought, and we had to resort to emergency irrigation. The estate consists of approximately 22 hectares of vineyard and in order to produce ‘Morellino di Scansano’ the wine must be fermented in the area of origin. For this reason we were obliged to build a ‘small’ fermentation cellar. Picking began on 21st August, 2003 and progressed without difficulty. The first grapes to be crushed were Sangiovese, followed by Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah together with Primitivo. The wines are now maturing in large casks and barriques at Corte Pavone. Due to the long drought the wine is less alcoholic compared with Montalcino, while nevertheless weighing in at 14% by volume, mouth-filling and velvety with accentuated fruit reminiscent of ripe figs, black-berry, sultanas, plums, cherries etc. On the nose it is reminiscent of cocoa with hints of chocolate. The 2002 Mo-rellino di Scansano was bottled on 5th November and has already been released for sale. The wine shows characteris-tics similar to those described above.