Merlot Trentino DOC

Neil and Maria Empson created Bollini to fill a gap in the market for quality wines from the Alpine foothills of Friuli and Trentino in 1979. Their goal was to showcase the excellence and consistency of international varieties grown in Italy’s cool northeastern regions, while keeping the prices affordable. Choice hillside locations, ideal day/night temperature swings, good ventilation and the complexity and minerality that come from the soil, all contribute to achieving concentrated, highly extracted fruit. Merlot grapes are grown southeast of Trento in steep hillside vineyards, with plants at least fifteen years old. The carefully selected grapes macerate for a couple of weeks and age for at least eight to nine months in barrels of various types and sizes. Bollini Merlot offers an especially fragrant nose of black cherries, spices and tobacco and features a medium body with integrated tannins, plush fruit and subtle earthy notes. Easy to drink, easy to pair.


Wine exported to

Hong Kong, Bermuda, United Kingdom, Canada, USA, Norway, Holland, Singapore, Japan, Ireland, Serbia, Australia, Barbados, Austria, Paraguay

Most recent awards

  • 2019 | James Suckling90
Grape Varieties:

100% Merlot

Fermentation container:

Stainless steel

Length of alcoholic fermentation:

15 days

Type of yeast:

Selected

Fermentation temperature:

26-28 °C (78.8-82.4 °F)

Length of maceration:

15 days

Malolactic fermentation:

Yes

Fining agent:

Bentonite

Aging containers:

oak casks

Container size:

various: 225 liters, 20-60 hectoliters

Container age:

various

Type of oak:

French, American, Slavonian oak

Aging before bottling:

8-9 months

Aging in bottle:

A few months

Closure:

Diam/screw cap

Organic:

No

Vineyard location:

Southeastern Trentino

Soil composition:

Rocky, gravelly

Vine training:

Pergola and Guyot

Altitude:

200 - 300 meters (656-984 feet) above sea level

Vine density:

4,000-5,000 vines per hectare

Yield:

75 HL

Exposure:

Southwestern

Years planted:

1989-2004

Age of vines:

15-30 years and older

Time of harvest:

End of September

First vintage of this wine:

1981

Total yearly production (in bottles):

36,000

Tasting notes:

The lively, deep color preludes an especially fragrant bouquet of black cherries, spices, berries and tobacco; on the palate, medium body, crisp freshness yet silky texture sustained by well-integrated tannins, lush fruit, subtle earthy and herbal notes, excellent balance and a long finish.

Serving temperature:

Best served at 16-18 °C (60.8-64.4 °F).

Food pairings:

Pairs wonderfully with red meat and hearty first courses. Very easy to drink and food-friendly.

Aging potential:

2 -3 years

Alcohol:

Alcohol cont. by volume: 13.5%

Winemaker:

Franco Bernabei with Neil Empson