The “dream wine” born from the mind of Alto Adige winemaker Hans Terzer blows out its 11th candle. Appius 2020, an excellent wine project from the award-winning Cantina San Michele Appiano, arrives to inaugurate a new decade with an edition that enchants in the glass with its sumptuous aromas and amazes the palate with its elegance and persistence. The Cuvée of white wines, created with grapes personally selected by Terzer, who took the opportunity of the launch last Thursday 7 November to officially pass the baton to Jakob Gasser, the cooperative’s new winemaker, reveals in one sip the best of the 2020 vintage, characterized by notable temperature volatility and rainfall throughout the vegetative arc, challenges overcome with the spirit (and motto) that has always distinguished one of the symbolic wineries of Alto Adige: “quality knows no compromises”.
Appius 2020 arrives, the Cuvée of white wines designed by Hans Terzer
Appius returns to enchant in its 11th guise, also produced in this limited edition. The most ambitious portrait of the vintage by Hans Terzer, winemaker of the Cantina San Michele Appiano, this year takes the form of Appius 2020, a Cuvée of four white grape varieties presented at a gala dinner held last Thursday, November 7: Chardonnay (60%) predominates, to which are added Pinot Grigio (20%), Pinot Bianco (10%) and Sauvignon Blanc (10%). The best of 2020 has given elegance and persistence, the same that has distinguished the work of San Michele Appiano to face the difficulties of the year.
Appius is the fruit of meticulous selection work in the vineyard, individual processing in the cellar and a careful final assembly: alcoholic fermentation, therefore, and a more limited use of malolactic fermentation than in the past, with refinement in barriques/tonneaux, assembly after a year and further refinement on the yeasts for three years in stainless steel vats.
The sensory analysis for Appius 2020 is of rare intensity: the intense Chartreuse yellow surprises the eye, with evident greenish reflections that complete its profile; the nose returns aromas that recall tropical fruits such as kiwi and pineapple, and above all yellow-fleshed fruit, peaches and plums in particular. Then there is no lack of citrus scents typical of Sauvignon in the form of grapefruit and Japanese yuzu, accompanied by the clean freshness of aromatic herbs such as calamint, sage and rosemary, to finally reach the olfactory fragrance of the secondary components of the yeasts, present here with references to brioche bread and bread crust, and the light nuances of toasted hazelnuts and cloves.
On the palate, what was experienced by sight and nose is perfectly confirmed: the imprint of freshness and vivacity is distinctive for this 2020, which differentiates it from many of the past vintages. The level of acidity runs throughout the passage of the mouth, determining vibrations, stimuli, energy and extreme pleasantness of drink, all within the channel of the wise balance that only a great wine can guarantee.
Appius 2020 is ideal to accompany fatty fish dishes such as herring, tuna and capitone, but also cod in the form of stockfish or creamed cod; it is also suitable for noble white meats, mushroom specialties and couscous-based dishes.
A new home for the “dream wine” of Cantina San Michele Appiano
As per tradition, Appius, whose name is the historical and Roman root of the name Appiano, reinvents itself also for this 11th edition. Born with the 2010 vintage, year after year, it has been able to fully reflect the vintage, while expressing the creativity and sensitivity of its author. Even in the design of the bottle and the label created by Life Circus, Appius has shown different outfits over time, reinterpretations of its guise at each edition.
The aim is, in fact, to conceive a “wine collection” capable of enthralling wine lovers from all over the world. The image, this time an exaltation of golden geometries characterized by the slight fullness given by the striped motif, always allows for free reading, so that every wine lover can draw intimate inspiration from it.
But the occasion of the 2024 presentation was also the moment for the ribbon cutting of the new Cellar dedicated to this special Cuvée. Specially designed and created in the heart of Cantina San Michele Appiano, thanks to the help and consultancy of the architect Walter Angonese, the space represents an exaltation of geometries conceived to underline and highlight the greatness of this wine.
