Elegant, light body, good acidity and aromatic.
Fliederhof’s St. Magdalener Classico is composed of at least 97% Schiava grown on three different plots composed fully of massale selections from this ancient hill with an average age of around thirty-five years (2021): one down low on deeper soils with a lot of rocks which brings riper fruit and smooth tannins; another on a very loamy spot with a steep aspect; and the last one further up the hill behind their house at around 350m in a very windy spot with rockier soil that brings greater tension. In the cellar the grapes are mostly destemmed with around 15-20% whole clusters included. The alcoholic fermentation typically ranges between eight to twelve days and the malolactic fermentation begins naturally shortly thereafter. Due to the variety’s typically reductive nature, the wines are pumped over during fermentation to minimize this (instead of numerous rackings during aging, which is very common in the area), and they’re tasted each morning and night to observe their evolution. Martin explained, “If you wait too long to aerate the grape must during fermentation, you may never get the reductive elements out of the wine.” It’s aged in big, old oak casks for nine months prior to bottling and stored for an additional few months prior to release. Generally, this wine is joyful and soft on intensity outside of its aromatic profile that, at Fliederhof, is laced with pleasant red fruits and flowers and a soft but tightly sculpted palate. Schiava, like all lightly-mannered red wines, is best served with a medium to slight chill.