Redondèl Dannato 2016: Teroldego with Time, Depth and a Darker Rotaliana Voice
Redondèl’s Dannato 2016 comes from Mezzolombardo in the Piana Rotaliana, where Teroldego reaches its most distinctive expression on alluvial soils rich in stones and mineral material. Paolo Zanini works on a very small scale, farming organically and letting the variety carry the weight of the wine rather than polishing it into a generic international red.
Dannato is the more ambitious side of that approach. It is 100% Teroldego, fermented spontaneously with indigenous yeasts, given a long extraction and then left for roughly three years in large wooden casks before another year in bottle. The result is not a glossy, fruit-first interpretation of Teroldego. It is darker, slower and more savoury, with the freshness of the Piana Rotaliana still intact beneath the ageing.
The Basics
- Producer: Redondèl
- Winemaker: Paolo Zanini
- Wine: Dannato
- Vintage: 2016
- Appellation: Vigneti delle Dolomiti IGT
- Area: Mezzolombardo, Piana Rotaliana, Trentino
- Grape: 100% Teroldego
- Farming: Organic, artisanal
- Soils: Alluvial, stony and mineral-rich
- Fermentation: Spontaneous, with indigenous yeasts
- Extraction: Long maceration
- Ageing: About 3 years in large wooden casks, followed by roughly 1 year in bottle
- Alcohol: Around 13–13.5%
- Style: Deep, savoury, fresh and structured
- Current stage: Mature, but still energetic
Appearance
Deep ruby with garnet beginning to appear at the rim. The colour remains concentrated, but the evolution is visible enough to signal a wine that has moved well beyond its primary phase.
Nose
The nose opens on blackberry, plum and dark cherry, followed by violet and a distinctive ferrous, almost bloody note that suits Teroldego especially well. With air, tobacco, dried herbs and a cooler mineral register begin to emerge, giving the wine more depth than simple dark fruit.
The aromatic profile is mature but not tired. Fruit is still present, yet the most interesting part now lies in the tension between floral notes, earth, iron and the first tertiary nuances.
Palate
The palate is juicy and firm, with plum, blackberry and sour cherry carried by lively acidity. Teroldego’s natural freshness is one of the reasons the wine still feels energetic after a decade, and the long ageing has softened the tannin without stripping away structure.
There is real material here, but it does not feel heavy. The middle of the palate is broad and savoury, with tobacco, iron and dark fruit held together by a distinctly saline tension. The tannins are fine rather than rustic, and the wine feels more composed now than it would have in its youth.
What stands out most is the balance between density and movement. Dannato has concentration, but it never settles into a static, extracted style.
Finish
Long and dry, with black plum, violet, tobacco and an iron-mineral note lingering behind the fruit. The acidity remains clearly visible at the end, keeping the finish precise and giving the wine more lift than its dark profile initially suggests.
Ready to Drink?
Yes. The 2016 is in a very convincing phase now.
The tannins have softened, tertiary notes are beginning to add real complexity and the fruit still has enough freshness to keep the wine alive. There is no urgency, but the balance is already excellent and there is little reason to wait indefinitely.
A sensible drinking window is now through roughly 2030, depending on storage.
Serving and Decanting
Serve at 16–18°C.
A short decant of around 20–30 minutes is enough. The wine benefits from air, but there is no need for aggressive aeration at this stage.
Use a medium-large red-wine glass to give the floral, ferrous and savoury notes enough room to develop.
Food Pairings
Dannato 2016 suits dishes with depth and a clear savoury character. Try venison stew with juniper, polenta di Storo with braised beef, or canederli with speck and brown butter.
For cheese, choose Trentingrana 24 months, Vezzena Vecchio and Puzzone di Moena. Their salt, nuttiness and mountain-herb character fit the wine’s dark fruit and mineral edge particularly well.
Price and Value
Current European listings sit roughly around €22–€34, depending on merchant and availability. German and French specialist retail has shown the 2016 around the low-€30s, while some remaining bottles still appear closer to the low-€20s.
That is strong value for a small-production Teroldego with long élevage, native fermentation and a decade of bottle evolution already behind it. The attraction is not prestige or scarcity for its own sake, but the amount of character and maturity delivered at a relatively modest price.
What Defines Dannato 2016
The key is the long maturation. Three years in large wood and another year in bottle before release gave the wine time to settle without covering Teroldego in obvious oak.
That matters because the variety has enough personality on its own: dark fruit, violet, acidity and a distinctive ferrous character. The large casks soften tannin and deepen the savoury side without replacing the grape with vanilla or toast.
The 2016 now shows that approach clearly. It has evolved into a mature, layered red where fruit, iron, tobacco and freshness sit in the same frame, and the balance feels far more important than simple power.
