A fantastically delicious white wine with the ability to age, we review the Cantina Tramin Nussbaumer Gewurztraminer.
100% Gewurztraminer from Alto Adige, Italy. The wine is aged on the lees in tank for almost a year followed by several more months in the bottle before release. It has 6.8 g/L of residual sugar.
It’s not often you find white wines with the ability to age but the wines of Alto Adige are a good spot to look for them. It’s also a great spot to look for excellent Gewurztraminer, which is what we have today.
Sample submitted for review. The Cantina Tramin Nussbaumer Gewurztraminer has an SRP of around $45 and can be found for slightly less (Saturday Splurge). It is imported by Winebow.
From the winery:
2023 Cantina Tramin Nussbaumer Gewurztraminer
WINE DESCRIPTION: Few realize that Alto Adige is the spiritual home of Gewürztraminer (which translates as “spice carrier” for its spicy, exotic notes) and it has been a hallmark offering at Tramin since it was founded one hundred and twenty years ago. Today, the grapes are sourced from vineyards in Montan and Tramin, where this grape is known to produce wines of particularly high caliber. The vineyard is located in Söll, a district of Tramin, at Altitude: 350 – 550 m above sea level. The soil is composed of calciferous gravel with loam on porphyry bedrock. The vines are 10 to 40 years old. The slopes are exposed Slope exposure: southeast 70%, south 30% Climate: Extreme interplay of sunny days influenced by the Mediterranean climate and cool nights marked by the cold downslope winds from the surrounding mountains
TASTING NOTES: Aroma: a kaleidoscope of aromas: rose petals, spicy blossoms of lilies, ylang-ylang, gardenia; ripe exotic yellow fruits such as cantaloupe, mango, passion fruit, lychee, citrus zest; spicy notes of dried herbs, ginger, saffron, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Taste: deeply aromatic, rich in body and essences, but with fine juiciness and salty minerality increasing with age, a nearly endless finish.
FOOD PAIRING: Nussbaumer is a truly fascinating food companion. It pairs well with antipasti of fish or smoked foods, ripe soft cheese, white meat, swordfish or tuna; ideal with shellfish and seafood, spectacular accompaniment to spicy Asian cuisine and creative spicy/aromatic creations such as combinations with mushrooms, Swiss chard, fennel, avocado, savoy cabbage, galangal, ginger, oranges, apricots, jams and fresh herbs like tarragon, rosemary, dill, thyme, bay laurel, chervil, saffron, mint or lemongrass which offer a wild interplay of aromas.
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VINEYARD & PRODUCTION INFO
Production area/appellation: Alto Adige DOC
Vineyard size: 100
Soil composition: Calcareous and Clay
Training method: Pergola/Arbor-trained Guyot
Elevation: 990-1,485 feet
Vines/acre: 1,400-2,400
Yield/acre: 2.2 tons
Exposure: Eastern / Southeastern / Southern
Year vineyard planted: 1979-2004
Harvest time: September-October
First vintage of this wine: 1992
Bottles produced of this wine: 75,000WINEMAKING & AGING
Varietal composition: 100% Gewürztraminer
Fermentation container: Stainless steel tanks
Length of alcoholic fermentation: 10 days
Fermentation temperature: 70 °F
Type of aging container: Stainless steel tanks
Size of aging container: 50-240 HL
Length of aging before bottling: 11 months
Length of bottle aging: 4 month
Total SO2: 125 mg/L
pH level: 3.68
Residual sugar: 6.8 g/L
Acidity: 4.7 g/L
Dry extract: 29.8 g/L14.5% Alcohol
The 2023 Cantina Tramin Nussbaumer Gewurztraminer begins with an expressive aroma of honeysuckle and lots of other floral notes plus apricot, lime and some tropical fruits. It’s very aromatic and a great start.
Tasting the wine reveals it to be wonderfully round, smooth, fresh and substantial in the mouth with similar flavors to the nose. It’s full of flavor but it stays in balance and has great depth and harmony.
It ends crisp on the long and lasting finish. This is fantastic! We put it at the high end of our 9 Taste Rating at 92-93 points. Splurge away!
Looking for more great wine from Italy? Check out our giant list of The Best Italian Wines!
You can also find more of our favorite Saturday Splurge selections here.
Review Summary
Cantina Tramin Nussbaumer Gewurztraminer Review • Reverse Wine Snob
A fantastically delicious white wine with the ability to age, we review the Cantina Tramin Nussbaumer Gewurztraminer.
9
Pros
- Excellent example of Gewurztraminer from Alto Adige, Italy
- 92-93 Points, Saturday Splurge selection
Cons
- Expensive at $40-$45 per bottle
