Luce vertical: A ‘winning varietal blend’

Robert Mondavi was brilliant at creating prestigious joint ventures, such as Opus One in Napa, and Seňa with Eduardo Chadwick in Chile. But less well known was Luce in Tuscany.

Srcoll down to see tasting notes and scores for a vertical of Luce from 2000-2020

In the 1970s, Mondavi had toured Italy with his son Tim with a view to creating an Italian brand, but it wasn’t until 1995 that his plans came to fruition and he formally collaborated with the Frescobaldi family to found Tenuta Luce. The Frescobaldis had bought the Castelgiocondo estate in Montalcino in 1989, and the Luce vineyards were in the same location.

Luce’s signature was its 50/50 blend of Sangiovese and Merlot. Sangiovese is, of course, the grape of Brunello di Montalcino, but with their Lamaione brand, the Frescobaldis had shown that it was possible to make an outstanding pure Merlot in the region (I attended the launch of the first Lamaione vintage, 1991, and promptly bought a case!). Merlot was planted on the lower part of the vineyard on clay soils, while the Sangiovese was planted higher up on stonier shale soils.

Although Mondavi was a far larger wine producer than Frescobaldi, it had always been a family estate and the two clans enjoyed their strong personal collaboration. But when Tim Mondavi retired from the project in 2002, the partnership foundered.

From that point, Lamberto Frescobaldi took on full responsibility for Luce, a position he still holds today. In 2004, Mondavi was bought by Constellation but the Frescobaldis, not wishing to work with a major corporate brand, bought out the Mondavi share the following year.

Luce in the cellar

At first, Luce was aged in barriques and then in large casks, but from 2005 all ageing took place in mostly new barriques to help tame the natural tannins of the wine. Located in one of the warmest spots in Montalcino, the Merlot could deliver opulent wines with high sugars and alcohol, but this was usually well balanced by the fresher Sangiovese component.

Luce has maintained a steady course over the years. Winemakers have changed – Jérôme Poisson from 2012, Alessandro Marini from 2019 – but the thinking behind the blend has not. Nevertheless, the wine has evolved. The 2013 Luce was made from organically farmed grapes, although the vineyard was only certified in 2015. More recent vintages have emphasised freshness and finesse rather than power and extraction, and there is less evident new oak: Lamberto Frescobaldi once told me: ‘Too much new oak gives those strong vanilla aromas, and if you want vanilla, it’s better to go and buy an ice cream!’

A new winery was built in 2016 (previously, the wines had been produced at the nearby Castelgiocondo winery) containing custom-made concrete tanks for fermentation.

Winemaker Alessandro Marini studied in Bordeaux and has worked at top Right Bank estates such as Figeac. Well aware of Merlot’s propensity for high alcohols, he introduced a lighter touch during vinification. ‘We crush lightly and reduce the fermentation temperature to around 27°C, and we’ve also shortened the fermentation period. In the 2000s there was a tendency at Luce to allow some overripeness in the vineyards, but today we avoid that. Indeed we pick relatively early to retain freshness. And there are fewer pumpovers and less extraction overall.’

New wines have been added to the Luce range over the years, as there is no wish to expand the production of Luce itself. Lucente is in effect a second wine, sourced from younger vines, with more Merlot and less new oak. A Luce Brunello was created in 2003, and most recently, the Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated Lux Vitis – although production is very limited.

But it’s Luce, with its winning varietal blend, that remains the outstanding wine of the line up.

Luce through the years: 2020-2000

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