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One of the coolest places in Italy (both literally and figuratively) is called in the local German, the Eisacktaler or, as the Italians say, the Valle Isarco. While still in Italy (for now), this narrow, high-altitude valley sits deep in the Dolomites, just a few kilometers from the Brenner Pass that separates Italy from Austria. So mixed up between Italy and Austria is this area that the all the signs are bilingual and the lingua franca is mostly German or, with the old folks, Ladin. It’s landscape is truly spectacular, dotted with espaliered orchards, farms, chalets and steep, postage stamp-sized vineyards. Is that Heidi up there singing on that hill?

While there are many micro-producers of wine and one very high-quality cooperative that work these mountainsides, the most important producer, by far, is the 12th-century monastery that dominates the hamlet of Novacella/Neustift, the Abbazia di Novacella. The Abbazia, even though the monks have taken vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, also has its own full-scale village that supports itself growing apples and vegetables for the surrounding markets, as well as their own school of viticulture that teaches the traditional winemaking of the region which goes back, literally, millennia.

The wines they make here, all from local grapes like Pinot Grigio, Sylvaner, Grüner Veltliner and Pinot Noir, are absolutely sensational—pure, focused and deeply flavored—but none are better than their work with the hybrid Kerner and the abbey’s outstanding reserve-level wine called Praepositus, Latin for ‘leader.’ (We actually call it Preposterous because it’s preposterous for a wine to be this good!) Here is the linearity, salinity and precision one would expect from this high-altitude alpine region, but sourced from the very oldest and best sites on the estate, allowing for an ultimate expression of ripeness and terroir. The 2023 Kerner was harvested from the abbey’s steepest, organically farmed vineyards sitting at around 700 meters. Aged solely in stainless, it is, nonetheless, a richly textured, almost decadent wine, aromatic of just-picked summer apricots, clove-y spice and lemon verbena before revealing its inner core of Golden Delicious apple, Asian pear and dried Acacia honey. It’s on the finish that the wine’s native fresh alpine acidity kicks in bringing with it the wine’s stunning dolomitic minerality. Put another way, imagine a Grand Cru Chablis grown in the Austro-Italian Alps! Still young, this will only develop in the bottle over the next five to eight years. Maybe longer.

It’s really a stunner and more than capable of standing up to the richest mountain fare—dishes based on wild herbs and mushrooms, pork in many forms, alpine cheeses and canederli, those delicious softball-sized bread-and-speck dumplings but, here in California, poultry and duck dishes, richer pastas, fish and seafood and just about anything else you could imagine would work too! VERY highly recommended.

Kerin O'Keefe, 94 points: Elderflower, tropical fruit, Alpine herb and nutmeg aromas almost jump out of the glass on the generous, delicious 2023 Kerner Praepositus. Full-bodied and vibrant, the racy, savory palate mirrors the nose, delivering gooseberry, grapefruit, yellow peach and tangy saline. Bright acidity keeps it balanced and loaded with energy.

Decanter, 93 points: This Kerner's golden-yellow hue hints at the sunny altitudes in Bressanone, northeast of Bolzano. From vines grown at 650m-750m, it balances power with alpine freshness, bursting with peach, dried apricot and orange peel scents, lifted by a flinty edge. The palate is juicy, with soft fruit aromas and a touch of ginger over a mineral core of crushed rock. Drink now or hold; its Riesling heritage (Kerner is a 1929 crossing of Schiava and Riesling) will unfurl beautifully after 8-10 years. Drink 2025-2035.