INSIDER'S PICK: 2021 CANTINA TERLANO PINOT NOIR 'TRADITION' ALTO ADIGE (Vinous 91points) $29.99

WE'RE BACK! So glad to be pouring for you again, decided to start back in with one of our favorite 'perception-bender' wines, bringing unexpected quality from unexpected places. The Alto Adige is rightfully renowned for the white wines they produce, but the reds tend to fly under the radar. Producers here aren't making high end bottlings that grab the international headlines, or flooding the market with millions of bottles a year, so they don't register in our consciousness as much. But if you're a fan of lighter bodied reds in general this is a region to explore,  especially if you enjoy red Burgundy but not their steadily increasing prices. Cantina Terlano is one of the most acclaimed producers in Alto Adige, and this Pinot Noir is a stone cold dead ringer for a Bourgogne level bottling from a quality Cotes de Beaune based winemaker. Strong words, we know, but now you get to come in and taste on it and see how right we are!

Pale cherry in the glass, the nose is full of cherry skin and dried red flowers at first, with redder fruits getting more intense  as it opens up as well as showing some potpourri notes. The palate is racy and a little lean at first but fells weightier and riper with each sip, delivering lots of vibrant strawberry and cranberry tones with increasingly redder cherry notes and herbal undertones. New to the bottle and barely starting to strut its stuff, this is a great wine to accompany a roasted bird and Fall vegetables, especially with a decently long decant.

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