Luce, finally rays of light

Tenuta Luce, the estate owned by the Frescobaldi family in Montalcino, has redefined its style and launched a new wine on the market: Lux Vitis 2015, a Cabernet Sauvignon of unusual charm.

I must be honest: I was never a great fan of wines from Luce della Vita, a joint venture in Montalcino between the Frescobaldi family and American producer Mondavi. The brand debuted on the market in 1993 with the first vintage of its showcase wine that today remains Luce, a Sangiovese and Merlot blend. I always believed that they made the wine they needed to make rather that create a territorial project but I must now admit that the wine in question and its little brother Lucente have achieved the success they were created for and so they must be doing something right. Over the years, came out with a Brunello in line with the estate’s tradition of keeping an eye, a close one, on international tastes. This meant a heavy use of wood as well as aromas that had a lot of ripe fruit.

The estate recently returned to full Italian ownership and the new direction imposed by Lamberto Frescobaldi is evident. A lovely revolution has begun in making wine that we are little by little beginning to understand as each wine reaches the market. The change has involved the creation of a new winery that is totally independent for the production of the estate’s wines. Italo-French enologist and manager Stefano Ruini has been put in charge of it and he has brought with him and applied the mentality he acquired having worked long in Bordeaux. The winery is very lovely but also extremely rational, with a successful balance between art and functionality. The vineyards have also undergone a restyling involving cultivation and the systems o vine training and pruning.

Along with their Brunello di Montalcino 2014, very well made, and Luce 2016, perhaps the best vintage ever, there is now a new wine: Lux Vitis 2015, an almost 100% Cabernet Sauvignon that already wowed even at its debut. It is the result of a careful selection of the best Cabernet grapes from a single, 4h vineyard with the wine maturing in new barriques for 24 months before some 5,000 bottles were made. The price is not cheap, even over 120 euros retail, but the position of the Luce brand is such that it is sure to sell.

Lux Vitis 2015

94/100 - € 120

A wine that is 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and matures in new barriques for 24 months. The color is a dark and intact ruby and the intense and clear aroma is filled with notes of blackberry and wild berries, a balsamic streak and a hint of graphite with an excellent smoky touch. The thick and intense mouthfeel is never over the top thanks to the tannins that are still young and an acidity that may be composed but helps usher in a very persistent finish free of any warm notes.

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