Dornach winery
Patrick Uccelli’s winery, Dornach estate, is a small biodynamic winery that nestles in the hills of Salorno in the south of South Tyrol. It is a succession of mountains and terraced with vineyards perched on vertiginous slopes. Now and then emerges from the woods the tower of a castle or the roof of a typical Tyrolean house. The air is sharp, pure, even during summer, and looking around there are few traces of mankind.
But apart from the idyllic setting, what is special about this winery?
The answer is simple: it is a real winery that produces true, natural wines, it’s the dream of a man that, after the classical studies—degree in Viticulture and Enology-decided that dream had to become true.
It is not easy to talk about a biodynamic, a natural winery, there is the danger that a romantic idea of winemaker, poet of the earth takes over. It is thought that plants have to do everything by themselves, once that the ecosystem is restored and life is back into a vineyard, purified by chemicals, herbicides, and synthetic fertilizers. Plants produce then you gather the grapes, crush the grapes and finally, you have a “natural product”, so trendy by these days. This view is too naive, when in fact the biodynamic winemaker is, first of all, a man inspired by the science of the spirit and that does not rely on “magical practices”.
Patrick chose biodynamic agriculture as a way to produce a wine that is the mirror of his terroir. Tired of the restrictions of conventional disciplinary, even those of the normal biological agriculture, decided to produce a pure wine, without compromise, in which he, you and we can taste the mark of the same land that tramples every day.
He does not use selected yeasts, because they force the scents; there aren’t any clarifications, additions of natural tannins, nothing. At the Dornach winery, the law is: wine is made in the vineyard, where Patrick uses only your hands, copper and sulfur treatments, and biodynamic preparations like horn silica or the horn manure. The vines, trained by the Guyot unilaterally extend for about three acres, more Patrick would not be able to grow.
XY Pinot Blanc
Shines golden with greenish streaks. The nose is captivating, fine, with tons of suggestions: almond, hawthorn, freshly cut grass, a drop of honey, but what is striking is the harmony with which mineral and fruity notes are balanced. The palate is warm, with notes of candied peel, vibrant, fresh, with a lovely finish in which apple, melon, and citrus fruits lost themselves in a mineral sea. Maturity in 3-4 years. Suggested pairings: linguine with lobster, spaetzle, Thai cuisine, pasta cacio e pepe.
XX Pinot Noir
Ruby clear, limpid. As soon as you put your nose in the glass starts a symphony of earth and wood quilted of strawberry under alcohol, ginger, raspberries, currants. As it opens up you can catch suggestions of Alpine herbs fading into a tobacco whirl. The mouth is clean and well balanced, with mineral undertones that dominate the wine from the start to finish, giving structure and countless facets on which your tongue will slide. After a couple of days is even better, grassy notes are tied with eucalyptus and pine resin. Suggested pairings: truffles, tuna tataki with sesame and soy sauce, sukiyaki (鋤 焼), dumplings with porcini, black truffle risotto, passatelli with Parmigiano fondue and truffle, bucatini all’amatriciana, roast beef, hamburger.
For information about prices and delivery methods or to book your wine tasting at Dornach winery, please contact Patrick.
Mail: [email protected]
Phone: 338 6973946
Via Dornach 12, 39040 Salorno (Bz)
Planted hectares: 3
Bottles: 4000
Winemaker: Patrick Uccelli