Forget Tropical Sauvignon: Voglar 2017 Has Gone Smoky, Saline and Serious
Peter Dipoli’s Voglar 2017 is a 100% Sauvignon Blanc from steep vineyards at Penon, near Cortaccia in Alto Adige, planted around 500–600 metres above sea level. The wine is fermented and matured in large acacia casks, without malolactic fermentation, then kept on the lees until the following spring with regular bâtonnage.
At almost a decade from harvest, the 2017 is no longer about explosive varietal aromatics. It has moved toward a more mature profile built around citrus, herbs, smoke, stone and texture, while retaining enough acidity to remain energetic rather than tired.
The Basics
- Producer: Peter Dipoli
- Wine: Voglar
- Vintage: 2017
- Appellation: Alto Adige / Südtirol DOC
- Grape: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
- Area: Penon, Cortaccia
- Altitude: Around 500–600 m
- Soils: Sandy, with significant calcareous and dolomitic material
- Fermentation: Large acacia casks
- Ageing: In the same casks on the lees until around May, followed by bottle ageing
- Malolactic fermentation: Avoided
- Alcohol: 13%
- Serving temperature: 11–12°C
- Current price: Around €25–€30 where still available
Appearance
Deep straw yellow with clear golden reflections, fully mature in colour but still bright.
Nose
The nose combines cedar, lime peel, yellow peach and ripe mango with sage, dried herbs, hay and fern. With air, more mature notes emerge: smoke, resin, wet stone and a light ginger-like spice.
The Sauvignon character is still present, but it has become much less overtly green or tropical than in youth.
Palate
Broad and textured, yet still driven by acidity. Citrus and yellow fruit lead into a distinctly saline, stony mid-palate, with the acacia ageing contributing volume rather than obvious wood flavour.
The 2017 has evolved very well. Fruit is no longer the central feature; structure, freshness and mineral tension now define the wine more clearly.
Finish
Long and dry, with lemon peel, herbs, white pepper and a chalky saline note lingering after the fruit fades.
This is where the wine shows its age best: mature, but still precise.
Ready to Drink?
Yes. The 2017 is in an excellent drinking phase now.
A well-stored bottle can continue for another 2–4 years, but the balance between tertiary development and remaining freshness is already very convincing. There is little reason to wait unless you prefer even more evolved, smoky and waxy notes.
Serving and Decanting
Serve around 11–12°C. Too cold and the wine loses aromatic detail; too warm and the mature fruit and alcohol become more obvious.
A short 20–30 minute decant can help if the bottle initially seems closed, but prolonged aeration is unnecessary.
Food Pairings
Excellent with turbot, sea bass, scallops, smoked trout, risotto with asparagus and pasta with shellfish. Goat cheese and roast chicken with herbs also suit the combination of acidity, savoury depth and mature aromatics.
Price and Value
Remaining bottles of the 2017 are still appearing around €25–€30, which is very reasonable for a mature Alto Adige Sauvignon with this level of bottle development.
The appeal is not simple aromatic intensity. Voglar is interesting because it shows how Sauvignon can age when altitude, acidity and lees ageing are handled seriously.
Final Thoughts
Peter Dipoli Voglar 2017 has reached the stage where citrus, herbs, smoke and saline tension matter more than primary Sauvignon fruit. The acacia ageing has integrated completely, while the acidity still gives the wine enough drive to feel alive.
It is a mature white with real personality: broader and more textural than Loire Sauvignon, less tropical than many New World examples, and distinctly Alpine in its combination of freshness and structure.
