Elena Walch - Beyond the Clouds 2022

Elena Walch is a five-generation family estate in Alto Adige, a leading force in the region’s wine quality revolution with a strong international reputation. The estate focuses on terroir-driven wines that reflect their unique soils, climate, and vineyard practices, all guided by sustainability. With 90 hectares under vine—including the top sites VIGNA Castel Ringberg in Caldaro and VIGNA Kastelaz in Tramin— Elena Walch is a key figure in Alto Adige winemaking

The 2000 vintage saw the creation of Alto Adige's first white super cuvée, which has since won numerous awards and is now considered one of Italy's white icons, and the crowning glory of Elena Walch's wine range. This super cuvée is a selection of the best grapes from different vineyards, fermented and aged together in oak barrels. The different levels of ripeness of the grape varieties and a selection that begins in the vineyard are reflected in the unruly character of the cuvée. The wine is meant to express the best of each vintage from Elena Walch's vineyards – year after year, “Beyond the Clouds”.

The various grape varieties get picked as soon as the Chardonnay reaches optimum maturity. All varieties get crushed and pressed together after which they also ferment together in new French oak barriques. Part of the wine undergoes malolactic fermentation, after which it is matured for another 10 months in barrique with lees being regularly stirred up. The finished wine is bottle aged for at least 6 months before being released.

Brilliant, intensive yellow is the color of our white blend Beyond the Clouds. In the nose, a complex, beguiling play of aromas unfurls with fruity nuances of exotic fruits such as pineapple, notes of blossoms and flowers, of rose petals and light toast aromas. Dense and complex, the wine enthuses on the palate: with fullness and structure, creamily soft and elegant, stimulatingly fresh and juicy with a discreetly incorporated, modest note of wood and a long reverberation of taste.

"Bright violets, plums and cherries on the nose, backed by a fine thread of spices. It’s compact and structured, with juicy fruit and silky yet firmly structured tannins. Lingering and expressive. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold. (Jul 2025)" - 95 Points, James Suckling