A decade of St. Michael-Eppan Appius

Filippo Bartolotta partook in the first-ever full vertical tasting of Alto Adige cooperative St. Michael-Eppan’s Appius to discover how the philosophy behind this “super cuvée” has evolved since its inception in 2010.

There’s some regions and some wineries though that have been proven to be on top of this game for quite some time. One of these regions is surely Alto Adige, and one of these cellars is St. Michael-Eppan winery, which this year celebrated the 10th edition of cellar master Hans Terzer’s super cuvée.

Founded in 1907, St. Michael-Eppan now works with some 320 vignerons across 385 hectares, producing 2.5 million bottles per annum – but it is Terzer’s “dream wine”, a blend of white wines personally selected by him, that was the focus of this tasting.

The vineyards selected for this wine come partly from the steep, calcareous hills at the bottom of the Mendola mountain, adding a saline refreshing tension to the wines, while others sourced from the red porphyric volcanic soils around the Bolzano valleys bring a mineral and smokey touch.

The cuvée is made of four varieties, each vinified separately in barrique and tonneau and then blended after a year in inox tanks where the wine rests with its fine lees for three years (apart from the Sauvignon Blanc), before then continuing its maturation in barriques/tonneau. The 2019 blend, from which around 3,000 bottles were produced, was: Chardonnay (60%), Pinot Gris (15%), Pinot Blanc (13%) and Sauvignon Blanc (12%).

The name ‘Appius’ comes from the Ancient Roman origin of the name ‘Eppan’. The bottle design of each vintage is different in order to reflect the reflect the different character of each year. The 2019’s label, designed by Life Circus, marks the 10th anniversary with a number 10 graphic presented in gold and platinum.

St. Michael-Eppan, Appius 2010 *****

Terzer said of this vintage: “[It was] criticised upon release because it had too much oak, but today it is a beauty. I must confess that I then started to use less oak afterwards…”

Gun flint, very austere with a seductive match-head and subtle tropical fruits with Earl Grey and lemon peel notes. A fantastic perfume I wouldn’t want to get away from. On the palate the wine has a velvet expansion, a volumetric energy ,and an incredible clean finish. Still young with no traces of age, if not for a lovely Bourbon and vanilla roundness.

St. Michael-Eppan, Appius 2011 ***

This is the most Sauvignon Blanc-driven Appius with a beautiful saffron note, golden mature apples, pineapple and candied ginger. Intense minerality and an almost a tannic trace with a green finish.

Terzer said: “This year there was no Pinot Blanc, so it’s one third of each of the rest. There was a strong hail storm on 27 August which forced us to harvest the day after.”

St. Michael-Eppan, Appius 2012 ****

This has a riper, fruit-driven style with a huge and very distinguished perfume of pears, papaya and quince. Although the wine shows a little more oak spices and a slightly more mature outlook, right now it has a very round and smooth caress.

St.Michael-Eppan, Appius 2013 ***

Terzer noted: “February and March were extremely cold so that bud bark was later then normal. April was mild and May turned out to be unusually cold, while July and August were really hot.”

A lot of Sauvignon Blanc is in this blend which shows its green face; the lime, kiwi and tropical aromas, and a very varietal driven style. Still intact and with ageing potential.

St. Michael-Eppan, Appius 2014 *****

Terzer said of this year: “Hailstorms and a lot of rain, even in August, but with very dry days and nights in the last 10 days before harvest.”

Another surprise from a very cold vintage: an austere and yet very elegant white with some out of this world medical herbs, delightful flintiness, and citrus fruit of all sorts. Lingering, with a lean structure, and still alive and kicking.

St.Michael-Eppan, Appius 2015 ***

On the opposite end of the spectrum from the 2014 vintage, here we have power, extraction, even tannic presence, and more alcohol. It’s a big, round and smokey version with a Pappy Van Winkle complexity.

St. Michael-Eppan, Appius 2016 *****

Another magical result. An Appius which sets the “new” standard of a more vibrant, reactive, and refreshing style without giving up the glycerol velvet touch, and yet manifesting more grapefruit, tangerine and lime aromas combined with the tropical and ripe white fruits.

St.Michael-Eppan, Appius 2017 ***

“A nightmare vintage with the lowest quantity we have ever seen due to early budding and the freezing nights at the end of April which killed many sprouts and resulted in greener fruit, followed by high heat in August which caused some over-ripening,” Terzer explained.

St.Michael-Eppan, Appius 2018 ****

Terzer said: “This vintage ended up being a good one, despite the tough conditions for the vignerons that had to work more then usual to sort the healthy berries from the bruised ones.”

The result is a Chardonnay-forward (52%) blend with aromas of honeydew melon, mango, and white peach. Smooth and round, thanks also to some malolactic conversion with a spicy finish from the Sauvignon Blanc. Drink now or hold onto it for the next decade.

St. Michael-Eppan, Appius 2019 *****

The best Appius ever. Stylistically consistent with the previous vintages, with an intense mountain herb character, a tropical fruit-driven nose followed by the complexity of vanilla, quince, pears and an elegant flinty touch. A creamier then expected palate, but with a refreshing and pure citrus finish and a really good outlook for longevity, which will take this wine beyond the 2030s.

Related reading:

Kellerei Bozen TAL: two new icons from Alto Adige

Andriano and Terlan: taking Alto Adige’s white wines to new heights