Manincor is a Biodynamic estate in Kaltern (Caldaro) in the Süd-Tirol (South Tyrol) region of Italy whose central building is the Castel Campan or Campan Castle). The castle, which is named after the founding Campan family, overlooks Lake Kaltern (Lago di Caldaro) of Schiava fame.
History: Manincor’s history begins perhaps in 1608, when Hieronymus Manincor received the title to the Ehrenhausen estate on Lake Caldaro from the Emperor, for his services to Austria. Or perhaps it was in 1662, when his granddaughter married into the family of the Counts of Enzenberg. Or later still, in 1698, the year in which the Enzenberg wine cellars in Terlano, Caldaro and Schwaz in Tyrol are first mentioned in historical documents. Manincor’s more recent history has been shaped by Michael Count Goëss-Enzenberg, whose family arrived here in 1885.
Owners: Count Michael Goëss-Enzenberg was born and raised in his parents’ castle Corinthia in Austria (forest, 30 cattle, lake, ski lift). Boarding school in Salzburg. Studied carpentry. | Countess Sophie Goëss-Enzenberg is the daughter of a businessman. After Michael and Sophie married they moved here. Their three children were born in quick succession: Isabelle, Rosalie and Kassian.
New beginnings: It was Michael’s childless uncle, Count Georg Enzenberg, who suggested that Michael (his ‘adopted’) son, should inherit his estate in Sud-Tirol and maintain it in the spirit of the family. This suited Michael as he is not a city person. Michael studied oenology at Geisenheim (at the same time as Bettina Burklin von Guradze). In 1986-1987 Michael worked as 1st assistant winemaker for 12 months the Santa Ynez Valley at Babcock.
In 1987 Michael laid the foundation stone for the modern winery as its exists today, having moved here from Carinthia. In 1991 he took over the estate from his uncle at a time when all the grapes produced were being sold to the Cantina Sociale Kaltern [Caldaro] co-operative winery. Prior to that any wine that was made was just for the family. Grape sales to the cooperative continued until 1996, when Michael and Sophie started producing and bottling their own wines: Kalterersee, Moscato Giallo, Pinot Blanc, Sophie, Mason and Cassiano. In 2004 a new underground, gravity-fed cellar was built (‘a stressful time’, Michael told me). In 2005 Manincor began conversion to Biodynamics (see below). From 2008 Michael hired the Cantina Sociale’s Helmuth Zozin, who had been at the coop for two decades. Zozin, who became Manincor’s estate manager (vineyards) and winemaker (wines) from April 2008, was interested in Biodynamics as well.
Vineyards: 2017 50ha.
Grands crus: Mason, Lieben Aich, and Castel are the estate’s “Grands Crus”.
Other crops: 40ha of apple orchards in Sette querce for apple juice. Also Braeburn apples. 7,000kg produce on average 4,000 litres of juice. Beehives were installed under Zozin. Also around 40 sheep in 2011.
Biodynamics, certification: 2005 Manincor began conversion to Biodynamic practices. The late Dr Andrew Lorand was consulting. | 2006 Manincor pplies for Biodynamic certification. | 2007 Michael and other like-minded vintners from Austria established the “respekt-BIODYN” group, with Dr Andrew Lorand. By 2009 all 50ha of Manincor wines were certified by Demeter/Abcert.
Biodynamics, wine style: Helmuth Zozin (visit to Manincor 24th June 2016) ‘biodynamics had brought more vitality, more aromatics, more physiological balance.’
Winery: 2004 New winery built. Gravity fed, and mostly underground.
Sales: Micheal said the main market is “Germany”, the inverted commas meaning Germans who drive down and buy the wine in the restaurant or from the winery shop and take it back to Germany in the car.
White wines
Eichhorn Pinot Bianco, Alto Adige Terlano DOC: From 1.5 ha of Pinot Bianco (Weißburgunder) in the Terlano sub-zone. Vineyard called Eichhorn. Grand cru site. Altitude of 80 m. | 2009 13.5%. | 2010 13.5%. | 2011 13.5%. | 2012 13.5%. | 2017 13% alc. Fermented in Austrian oval oak casks. Well made, balance of crisp lightly exotic fruit and oak (tasted August 2019).
La Manina: Weißburgunder (Pinot Bianco), Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay.
Lieben Aich: One of the ‘Grand cru’ wines made here. Sauvignon Blanc. From Schloss Lieben Aich, a family patrimonio in the centre of Terlan (It: Terlano). A good area for this variety. Michale told me ‘Sauvignon Blanc is as fragile for white wines as Pinot Noir is for red wines. We want a Sauvignon Blanc with ripe not herbaceous flavours. Sauvignon is one the first grape variety to be picked, along with Pinot Noir. A good year for Sauvignon is a good one for Pinot Noir and vice versa,’ Michael said on 23rd June 2016. | 1999 Debut vintage. | 2000 BF. Wild ferment. Warm year. Ripe, exotic nose. Honey notes, smooth texture, full but not heavy, savoury at Tenuta Manincor 23rd June 2016. | 2004 Fresh,spiky nose. Made in new underground cellar for the first time. Started building it in 2001. BF. Wild. Tonneaux. More gentle on the fruit. Slight bitterness again but very smooth as less skin contact compared to earlier vintages at at the estate in 2016. | 2010 BF. Wild. Tonneaux. Ripe, ‘salty’ nose at at the estate in 2016. | 2013 Wild ferment. Botte di legno. No pied de cuve. Wait for it to start (can be 10 days). Sauvignon Blanc. Cool year. 15th Sept picked [normally end of August]. SB from Terlan (1ha here). Plenty of weight, some bitterness at the estate in 2016. | 2014 Not made. | 2015 Made. | 2018 Hit by hail.
Moscato Giallo: Goldenkuskateller (Moscato Giallo).
Sophie (Chardonnay): Vigneti delle Dolomiti Bianco Chardonnay. Some of the Chardonnay is in Terlano on volc porphyry/quartz (sandy, light); and some in in Caldaro on more calcareous (scree?) soil. Not a single vineyard wine. From 2008 the SB component was given its own label, Tannenberg. | 1996 Debut vintage. | 1999 70% Chardonnay, 30% Sauvignon Blanc. 225-litre barrels. This tastes Chardonnay-like, round and melon/peach. Still lovely and fresh at Tenuta Manincor’s Castel Campan on 23rd June 2016. | 2001Chardonnay. 30% Sauv Blanc. From Magnum. 225-litre barrels. Flattish nose, not much aroma initially. Bit citric, from the SB, maybe. Again very saline with a touch of bitterness at Tenuta Manincor’s Castel Campan on 23rd June 2016. | 2010 Cool year. Good. Mainly Chardonnay but also including a bit of Viognier (3-5%). 1,200 litre barrels. Get some of that cool menthol on the nose. Lovely salty white, real texture, creamy butter but apricot too, wild ferment, beautiful texture at Tenuta Manincor’s Castel Campan on 23rd June 2016. | 2012 8m in 1,200 litre barrels. All its life in wood apart from a short passage in steel before bottling. Cool, exceptional year. Mainly 100% Chardonnay including a bit of Viognier (2-3%). Saline, mid-weight, very salty, some honey butter, Burgundian but more spicey. Intense, bit of butter toffee at the end but not negative, not ‘fat’. Very salty at Tenuta Manincor’s Castel Campan on 23rd June 2016.
Réserve della Contessa, Terlano, Alto Adige: 2012 60% Weissburgunder, 30% Chardonnay, 10% Sauvignon Blanc. Cold soak. Part fermented in stainless steel, part in Austrian oak Stockinger oval casks.
Dannenberg: Sauvignon blanc.
Pink wines
Rosato, La Rose de Manincor: From Lagrein, Merlot, Cabernet, Petit Verdot, Tempranillo and Syrah. | 2018 Vigneti delle Dolomiti Rosato IGT. | 2018 13.5% Full-bodied pink white with a smooth, food-friendly texture (tasted August 2019).
Red wines
Verjus: Made from bunches removed during per-harvest bunch thinning. 4,000 bottles (25cl). ‘Milder than vinegar, more delicate than lemon juice’.
der Keil (sic) | 2018 Vernasch (Schiava).
Cassiano Rosso: Michael’s son Cassian was born in 1996, same year as the cantina was born. Cassian was the name of a bishop of Süd Tirol, too. | 1996 Debut. Tough vintage. | 1997 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. All spice aromas. Ripe, starting to to dry out, bit vegetal at the estate in 2016. | 2004 Double magnum. Mainly Merlot. Got all the fruit from the Castel Campan vineyard which was not bottled under its own name this year. Lovely Bordeaux-style nose; palate a bit lumpen and shortish at at the estate in 2016. | 2009 Mainly Merlot, plus both Cabs. Hot year. Pretty good, rich, menthol, but quite refreshing if a tad uneven/bitter but still plenty of fruit here, dry fruit but not dried out at all at the estate in 2016. | 2011 Mainly Cab Franc and Merlot plus others (eg Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Tempranillo, Petit Verdot). Bit of bake in this. Herby nose too, get that CF. Nice acid, bit short, nice flavours too at the estate in 2016. | 2017 42% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Franc, 9% Tempranillo, 8% Cab Sauv, 7% Petit Verdot.
Kalterersee Keil Superiore, Lago di Caldaro Classico: From Schiava. Fermented in tronconic Austrian oak vats.
Mason Pinot Nero, Alto Adige: One of the ‘Grand cru’ wines made here. South-facing site, 400-450m .Pergola vines.
Mason di Mason: From 5ha of Pinot Noir (‘(Blaubugunder’) in In Caldaro of which 1ha is for Mason di Mason, planted 1988. 500 metres. Moraine over chalk. Clones, five in total including 113, 115, 112. | 2002 Tough year. Rained during harvest. Fermented in open oak vat. [Now can keep the fruit cooler]. Pretty cherry nose. Nice, simple, bit of a ball of red fruit with a bit of sourness in there too. Ready I’d say before the fruit starts to fade at the estate in 2016. | 2005 Very late year. Cool nights. Acid held. Perfect ripeness. Lovely sweet fruit and new oak there too. Very moreish, young-tasting considering this has a decade under its belt at the estate in 2016. | 2012 Classic. 15th Sept picked. Sunny days at harvest. Cool. Could wait for perfect ripeness. Crunchy red fruit, get some real texture here, flesh and interest to the tannins at the estate in 2016. | 2013 Cool year. Get plenty of menthol. Owner reckons this one is probably the best they have made. Has nice fruit, oak and flesh, youthful rather than primary at the estate in 2016.
Merlot, Privat: 2009 New oak nose, mint, bit oaky, also some bitterness, good modern, smooth, bit shortish and polished at dinner at the Seehof Keller 23rd June 2016.
Rubatsch Lagrein, Alto Adige DOC: 2011 13%. | 2017 14%. Lagrein. L619. Spicey dark fruit, smooth and with a touch of oak (tasted autumn 2019).
Réserve del Conte: Red from Merlot (40 %), Cabernet (30 %), Lagrein (30 %).
Castel Campan: One of the ‘Grand cru’ wines made here (Mason, Lieben Aich, Castel Campan) from 1999. This is only made in best years. Their most important and deepest wine. Want elegance, balance, not concentration. The Castel Campan [where we are] is the centre of the estate. Until 1977 the wines were made here. The wine was sold in bulk in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland until 1977 when a change was made to domaine bottling. The grapes then went the Co-op in Caldaro. (In 2016 the two remaining co-ops here merged). No one in the family wanted to domaine bottle. But in 1996 the Manincor brand was launched. Mainly Merlot plus a bit of CF. Their highest quality wine. Most of sites in lower areas, from 200-500m. Lower OK for Merlot and CF. 260m. Among the first he replanted when he took over. Had 80% Vernatsch, was an important grape then and now. 1993 Planted Cab Franc and Merlot in 1992. BD-mens wines that got more refined and more balanced. BD must have balanced and elegant. This is their best and rarest wines. 3,000 bottles. Not every vintage. | 1999 Open oak vats for first time. No steel. Bit meagre, also a bit stemmy at the estate in 2016. | 2003 Perfume and glycerol on the nose. Bit baked, sweet fruit, slightly angular tannins (has this been acidified?) at the estate in 2016. | 2009 Very good year here. Bit of funk on the nose. But not too intrusive. Firm tannins, a bit dry, some bake and prune but still youthful at the estate in 2016. | 2011 Nice menthol and grip, with some oak, pressy texture to the tannins. Nice bitter cherry and black fruit. Savoury. Good weight. Lovely texture and sweetness to the fruit and savouriness to the tannins at the estate in 2016. | 2015 Castel Campan. Merlot and Cab Franc. Quite crunchy, rich dark fruit. Very youthful still at Johanni 24 June 2019. | 2016 65% Cabernet Franc, 35% merlot.
Dessert wines
Le Petit: 100% Petit Manseng. Late picked. Inspired by Jurançon. Oak aged.
Other crops
Grape seed oil: The Seeds are cold pressed. The oil is rich in anti-oxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, trace elements. Oil from red grape variety seeds tastes different to those from white wine grapes. It can be heated for cooking, or for skin-care applications. | Grape seed flour: Made from what remains of the seeds that have been used for the grape seed oil. They are ground to produce a fine floury powder. It can be added in small quanties to flour when baking; or to mueseli, or a glass of apple juice. | Vineyard honey. From hives hives in the vineyards, near the forest and the orchards. | Apricot jam The fruit comes from the Ahrn Valley and the foot of the Zillerthal Alps, from the south side of the Gassegg estate. Small apricots with red skins. 100-200kg of fruit annually. | Wine chocolate: Made by Gunther Fenkart, a chocolatier from Voralberg.
Bibliography
Visit to Tenuta Manincor’s Castel Campan on 23rd June 2016.
Contact
Manincor
San Josef am See/San Giuseppe al Lago 4
39052 Kaltern/Caldaro (BZ = Bozen/Bolzano), Italy
Tel+39 0471.960230 | Website: www.manincor.com