Nusserhof, Heinrich Mayr, Lagrein Riserva

Today’s wine doesn’t look or sound particularly ‘Italian,’ but it’s not an exaggeration to call it one of the greatest underground finds in all of Italy. Established SommSelect subscribers may instantly recognize the distinctive label announcing Heinrich Mayr’s Nusserhof estate, but if you are not yet familiar with this impeccable producer and his family’s wines, I can’t stress enough what a special offer this is.Not only is this 2010 Lagrein one of the very best evocations of this native red grape variety, it has enjoyed enough bottle age to place it firmly in its peak drinking window. A paltry number of cases of this wine come to the US each year, and most disappear into restaurant cellars almost immediately. Grown and made in Bolzano, the capital of Italy’s German-speaking Alto Adige (a.k.a. Südtirol) region, this is a layered, brooding, evocative red of world-class quality, crafted from an indigenous variety that few (if any) of Mayr’s contemporaries manage to coax this much comple