Print Friendly, PDF & Email

 

Pojer e Sandri winery was founded in 1975, thus in a period without important references and in an area that for someone had low potential, by the partners Mario Pojer and Fiorentino Sandri with just 2 Ha and some cement vessels also thanks the suggestions of a friend: Jermann (now well-known producer based in Friuli Venezia Giulia).

mario pojer

 

Nowadays, with 30 Ha and about 200.000 bottles per year (around 20 different labels), Pojer e Sandri is one of the most important and solid wineries in Trentino Alto Adige where they are based as well as at national and international level thanks to a perfect balance between innovative dynamism and respect for the territorial tradition but in the most true and profound sense. I write so because the binomial “tradition-innovation” is an abused claim in the modern world of wine, the marketing often leverage on to communicate that a company is technologically advanced, therefore able to produce clean and healthy wines but – at the same time – it is not “industrial” without grasping its true meaning, the one expressed – on the contrary – by the partners Pojer and Sandri.

More precisely: by “innovative dynamism” I refer to the continuous dynamism that has always nourished this company in order to perfect the production: from the washing of the grapes that was and sometimes still is a breaking point, to the continuous selection of indigenous yeasts, for example for sparkling wines or to the development of machines that are all designed by them including a customized distillation system; yes, because Pojer e Sandri boasts an extremely interesting in-house production of spirits, including a rare Italian brandy.

At the same time, once there, you got what I call “respect for the territorial tradition” which is not a mere romantic vision of the tradition itself, right because this one of the most active companies that does not want to flatten out on nostalgic and anachronistic approaches. I refer, above all, to a full interpretation of the territory that tradition reflects. For instance: given that any kind of fundamentalist approach needs to be better analyzed and that we could discuss furtherly about the new phenomena related to “natural” wine as well as about the organic or biodynamic approaches; if Mario Pojer decided to adopt the organic protocol for his vineyards, he would be obliged to make treatments on steep slopes (maybe right after a rainfall when the vines are also sleepy), a practice that would entail serious risks: would it make any sense? As a matter of fact, when you meet Pojer and Sandri you realize that these theories lose importance if compared to a full awareness of their own territory and relative needs. Indeed, when I met Mario Pojer, I was impressed by his total awareness and full competence in regards to territory, techniques and grapes. An element that might seem obvious: it is assumed that all companies have deep knowledge of their territory and their potential but unfortunately it is not like that.

This is Pojer e Sandri.

pojer e sandri

We are in a territory, around the village of Faedo (a town dated back to 1100 that was born for its mining richness) with 3 main strengths:

  1. Deep stratifications of the soils mainly made of: porphyry, werfen and dolomitic material (one can see visiting the canyon Bletterback, Unesco heritage)
  2. The valley is open
  3. The wind Ora del Garda that refreshes the area.

So, in a 5 levels cellar the grapes are processed to get a wide line up due to the differentiation guaranteed by the fragmentation (and so diversification) of the property.

The wines offer great quality and personality. Please find here some of the best ones.

  1. “PALAI”, Müller Thurgau 2017

A mountain wine, sharp and thin, sober and also marked by savouriness.

  1. ZERO INFINITO (col fondo) from the resistant variety Solaris

Powerful nose, mature, exotic with herbs and a very nice flavor and long taste of pink grapefruit. Juicy, it recalls the apple cider.

  1. CUVEE 13-14. Extra Brut (40 months on the lees)

Full and mature nose with aromas of apple, bergamot, face powder. Creamy and elegant with a medium(+) acidity but never pungent.

  1. BRUT ROSE (20 months on the lees)

Wild strawberry, rose water, licorice roots and smoke on the nose. Full and elegant on the palate

  1. NOSIOLA 2017

A rare and local grape variety (more commonly used to produce sweet wines) with floral notes along flavors of white peach and a mineral touch. Dry, fresh and with a good concentration at the same time, also defined by savouriness.

  1. RIESLING 2017

After the fermentation in stainless steel tanks, it matures in used acacia barrels.

Preserved peach with a balsamic touch, fine, tense, intriguing.

  1. CHARDONNAY 1982

A present by Mario I really appreciated. The wine was nearly over but was able to still keep and offer a good complexity: wheat, fermented pineapple, cooked apple, saffron and a touch of kerosene. Aftertaste of walnut, yogurt and truffle. Toasted hazelnut on the finish.


  1. VIN DEI MOLINI 2017

The wine which contributes to their initial success thanks to the review of the famous Italian critic Veronelli; obtained from Rotberger (a crossing between Schiava and Riesling created in 1939).

Pink in color with darker hues, Fine and complex on the nose with flavors of rose, cassis, raspberry and red-orange. Savor and balanced.

  1. PINOT NERO 2017

Produced to be immediate, obtained from old vines (which will be soon substituted for a newly selected clone of Pinot Noir coming from Burgundy), matured 5 months in wood.

Immediate and fruity (red cherry), slightly earthy. Fresh, to be served slightly cool.

  1. RODEL PIANEZZI, PINOT NERO 2015

The first editions of the newly selected clone. A wine that will find its balance in some years. Violet, blueberry, cedar tree. Harmonious, tasty, elegant, coherent, great potential for ageing.

  1. ROSSO FAYE 2013

Cabernet Sauvignon 50%, Cabernet Franc-Merlot-Lagrein for the remaining 50%.

Their flagship. Blackboard, dark fruits and roots on the nose. Concentrated, quite bodied, fresh and welcoming. “In progress”.

 

Share: