Tenuta Dornach (Patrick Uccelli)
Salorno, Alto Adige (Südtirol), Italy
Tenuta Dornach is a tiny winery and working farm located in Salorno in the southern part of the Südtirol, in the shadows of the Dolomites Mountain range in northern Italy. In 2008, after years of selling grapes to the local cooperative, Patrick and Karoline Uccelli decided to start making their own wines and took over the family business. Karoline trained as a biologist and nowadays she oversees the biodiversity of the estate. This means tending to their 10-25 sheep (depending on the season), their 5-6 goats, their cow, pigs, and chickens. In short, Tenuta Dornach is a working farm where grapes are grown, and wine is made, along with their own milk, eggs, meat and corn, which is ground on site to make polenta. Their simple belief, that fertile and healthy soils equal healthy plants and fruit, is their guiding principle.
Patrick is a trained enologist but also studied medicine and philosophy. The couple take a holistic approach in making wine and began converting to organics the moment they took over the property. They have been biodynamic since 2009 and are now fully Demeter certified. They have grown their property from a mere 2.8 hectares of vineyards to seven hectares. Still small by any standard, especially when considering that a good portion of their grapes are sold to Alois Lageder for their bio cuvees. While the vineyards are planted 95-98% percent to Vitis Vinifera, such typical South Tyrolean grapes as Pinot Bianco, Pinot Nero, and Gewurztraminer, they also grow hybrid PiWi varieties such as Solaris, Bronner, Regent, Cabernet Blanc and Souvignier Gris. These hybrid crossings of Vinfera with other species of the genus Vitus, were created in the vineyards, and are naturally disease and fungus resistant.
In the cellar, Patrick works very carefully. He is not a fan of reductive or mousy wines. It goes without saying that the wines are fermented spontaneously, and sulphur is used judiciously as it would interrupt his belief in living organisms. A maximum of 30-40mg per liter is used only at bottling. A variety of vessels - steel tanks, tonneau, barrique and amphorae - are used for fermentation, aging and refinement.
The labels are unique, each bottling is issued its own number and colored dot The numbers are the sequence of bottling. The colored dots are the vin de soif, the watercolors are the PiWi varieties, and the historical maps on the labels are the special selections. This is meant to remind people that this wine is an agricultural product. When each unique bottling is gone, it's gone.
Read more about Patrick Uccelli and Alto Adige’s Burgeoning Biodynamic Movement.
Our Selections
Tenuta Dornach Vino Bianco (PiWi) 22 IGT Vigneti delle Dolomiti 2020
A 50/50 blend of two hybrid PiWi white grape varieties: Cabernet Blanc and Solaris, both planted on high altitude porphyry soils. PiWi is an abbreviation of the German term for fungus resistant and refers to grapes that are bred to resist molds and mildews that attack grapes and vines. Cabernet Blanc is a Swiss hybrid crossing of two red varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon and Regent. The result is a green berried grape that gives a distinct Sauvignon Blanc like aroma of melon, fresh cut grass and a Riesling-like green apple note. The Solaris adds an almost tropical note of pineapple and custard. This is a remarkably balanced and fresh wine with excellent texture; perfect for fans of richly styled Pouilly-Fume or Fume Blanc but without the oak influence.
12.27% Alc | 4.8 g/l acidity | 3.45 pH | 3 mg free SO2 | 11 mg total SO2 | Demeter Certified Biodynamic
Tenuta Dornach Vino Rosato (Soif) 18 IGT Vigneti delle Dolomiti 2020
This is a delicious rosé or light red made from 45% Schiava, 15 % PInot Noir, and 40% Prior, a PiWi hybrid, bred for its resistance to fungal diseases. Schiava gives a wonderful, perfumed note to the wine, while Pinot Noir adds elegance to the palate. Prior, a crossing that includes Pinot Noir in its parentage, adds lovely berry fruit and tart acidity. The grapes were grown at 370 meters above sea level on yellow clay and limestone vineyards and were fermented spontaneously in stainless steel. This is absolutely delicious – wonderfully perfumed on the nose with a salty minerality on the finish. At just offer 11% alcohol, this is the bottle you drink before you’re next bottle.
11.27% Alc | 4.6 g/l acidity | 3.53 pH | 6 mg free SO2 | 16 total SO2 | Demeter Certified Biodynamic
Tenuta Dornach Bianco (Soif) 12 IGT Vigneti delle Dolomiti 2019
65% Pinot Bianco, 25% Manzoni Bianco, and 10% Chardonnay from porphyric (rhyolite) and red clay soils. 50% was fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks and the other 50% in large oak barrels. The # 12 features a golden color with just a hint of cloudiness. A bit of a "sponti" aroma on the nose, it’s the Manzoni Bianco that jumps out aromatically with green melon, white flower, and a distinct saline quality. The textured palate and fresh finish make this an ideal wine for food.
11.8% alcohol and 43 mg/l SO2. 4,130 bottles produced | Demeter Certified Biodynamic
Tenuta Dornach Pinot Grigio (Soif) Orange 29 IGT Vigneti delle Dolomiti 2021
Only 1000 bottles were made of this gentle skin contact wine. 100% Pinot Grigio from vines planted on porphyry 260 to 290 meters above sea level. 70% of the grapes were de-stemmed and whole berry fermented. The other 30% were left on the stems. Both were fermented together in stainless steel tanks until primary fermentation was completed. Aged for several months in 500 liter used tonneaux. This is a savory yet precise and pure skin contact Pinot Grigio with a beautiful copper/salmon color, a delicate nose suggesting apricot and black tea, and excellent structure. This is a skin contact wine with precision and raciness.
12.22% Alc | 6.3 g/l acidity | 3.43 pH | 7 mg free SO2 | 41 mg total SO2 | Demeter Certified Biodynamic
Tenuta Dornach Pinot Nero (Soif) 17 IGT Vigneti delle Dolomiti 2020
Patrick calls Pinot Nero #17 “a white wine in a red dress." A lighthearted expression of Pinot Noir, this was fermented on the skins for a few days and aged in 1500 liter oak barrels (his largest) until April of the following year.. Very pretty color. Light almost rose like in appearance. Gorgeous aroma. Tart cherry. Palate is very fresh. This is harvested earlier than the #14 Pinot Noir. De-stemmed and crushed. After 3-5 days, once the fermentation gets going, Patrick separates the must from the seeds, then completes fermentation like a white wine. The goal is to extract the aroma from the skins but not the tannins via alcohol. Red fruits and low alcohol (11%) with a defined wild strawberry note. It is dangerously drinkable. Served slightly chilled, it goes well with fish and appetizers in general.
Demeter Certified Biodynamic
Tenuta Dornach Souvignier Gris (PiWi) 30 IGT Mitterberg 2020
An amber wine made from fermentation on the skins of Souvignier Gris, a resistant PiWi variety that looks like Gewurztraminer, with a pinkish hue on the skins. The time on the skins is only until alcoholic fermentation ends - or about 10 days. As Patrick says, "macerated, but just enough." The #30 features a remarkable orange color akin to a lightly brewed tea. The nose has a slightly honeyed, brown sugar or caramel aroma with no signs of oxidation. The aromatics suggest sweetness but the palate is perfectly dry with beautiful savory notes. 50% semi-carbonic and 50% whole berries. 12% alc. Demeter Certified Biodynamic
Tenuta Dornach Pinot Bianco (Selections) 13 IGT Vigneti delle Dolomiti 2018
From volcanic (rhyolite) soils: 90% Pinot Bianco and 10% Chardonnay “to fill the tank.” Using sequential harvesting or multiple passes in the vineyard over a period of a month, Patrick blends grapes of different maturities to create a salty, savory wine which is capable of aging magnificently. The wine spends one year in large Slovenian oak casks and one year in concrete before bottling. Tense and stony with notes of herbs and cool yellow fruits, the wine is medium textured yet nervy with a tensile, salty finish. Demeter Certified Biodynamic
Tenuta Dornach Gewurztraminer (Soif Aromatique) 19 IGT Mitterberg 2020
A delicious Gewürztraminer from porphyric (volcanic) and clay soils. Fermented and aged in large Acacia barrels, this has a beautiful aroma of roses and lychee typical to Gewurz, along with atypical notes of honeysuckle and salt. Very dry on the palate and perfectly balanced. While most Gewürztraminers have high alcohol and residual sugar the #19 his has no residual sugar whatsoever. The Acacia wood, purchased from the Fassbinder tonnellerie in Slovenia, gives it a light and sweet note to round out the dry finish. As the soif name implies, this is a wine meant to consume with pleasure.
12.6% alcohol and 24 mg/l SO2. | Demeter Certified Biodynamic
Tenuta Dornach Pinot Nero (Selections) 24 IGT Vigneti delle Dolomiti 2019
The #24 is a Pinot Noir which thrives on elegance and tension. A blend of 50% whole cluster fermented Pinot Noir and 50% de-stemmed, whole berry Pinot Noir. Using stems in the Alto Adige is practically unheard of. This has a beautiful color. Light, brick red at the edge. Looks like a traditional Rioja in appearance. Red fruited amarena on the nose and a hint of sweetness. Excellent on the palate with lovely elegance and tension. This was formerly called xx for the female chromosome. The 2018 vintage was number 14. Demeter Certified Biodynamic