Elena Walch Pinot Noir Riserva "Aton" 2020

Elena Walch's supreme achievement in Pinot Noir is released in an extremely limited edition of around 2.553 bottles produced: 'Aton', named after the ancient Egyptian God of Sun, who represented himself in a pure, life-giving solar disc, elevating him above every other divine being. As an abstract idea and spiritualized concept, Aton is the source of light and life and thus perfection itself. 

The 2020 vintage of “Aton” Pinot Noir Riserva Alto Adige DOC comes from the selection of the best grapes in medium and higher altitudes between 400 and 600 meters a.s.l. The vines, which are up to 61 years old with greatly reduced yields, are located on both sides of the valley in Glen and Barleith and benefit from the complex, predominantly clay and limestone soils with traces of marl.

The higher the mountain profile, the more light, sunshine hours, and freshness reach the vineyards. Long hours of sunshine in a fresh climate and a large day/night temperature differences result in a Pinot Noir of great elegance with a fresh and expressive presence. The selection of the two highest quality plots in an ideal combination of orientation and altitude allow a higher phenolic grape ripeness without excessive sugar content and a natural medium to high acidity that distinguishes the “Aton” Pinot Noir Riserva 2020 with structure, elegance, and finesse. “Aton” sends you on a unique sensory journey that engages the senses in the discovery of its personality. A journey that tells the story of Alto Adige and delights lovers of Pinot Noir.

The harvest took place in two rounds on September 10th and on September 14th, 2020, in order to allow the respective grape lots to achieve optimal maturity. 2020 was an excellent vintage for the Pinot Noir variety, although it was a challenging year. A warm spring led to early vine development, which was balanced out by a cooler June. The early summer was changeable and required a lot of effort in the vineyard. This was followed by a hot, intense summer with midsummer temperatures, before autumn brought significant temperature differences between day and night. The high temperatures favored the excellent structure of the Pinot Noir and produced complex, ripe fruit notes, while the cooler, higher-lying plot with a northwest-facing orientation gave the wine freshness and incomparable elegance.

The hand harvest was followed by a gravity fed and highly gentle grape processing in a new, state of the art fermentation cellar. The grapes were gently transferred in whole berry form in a small “cuvon” to the small fermentation tanks, maintaining the delicate structure and quality of the harvest in its natural form.

This was followed by a 5 days cold maceration and fermentation at a controlled temperature of 23°C for a further 15 days in small steel tanks. After a further 12 months of ageing in French oak barriques with medium toasting, the wine rested and matured in steel for an additional 12 months.

This slow and gentle processing was carried out respecting the original quality of the grapes, and following the same principle, the wine was finally bottled on November 8th, 2022, without filtration to preserve its exceptional structure and maintain its natural colloidal composition.

During the subsequent 15 months of bottle ageing, the "Aton" Pinot Noir Riserva 2020 quietly developed the broad spectrum of its potential until was released on the market on April 1st, 2025.