Tenuta Luce cements itself as amongst the reference wines when it comes to the Super Tuscan category. While not the earliest example, and also worth noting is that the colloquial (and rather loosely applied) Super Tuscan term is associated with wines from Tuscany made with non-native grape varieties (typically French, such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot) of which the region now has hundreds of such examples, Tenuta Luce has quickly proved itself to be an excellent example of what a Super Tuscan wine can be.

Tenuta Luce.

And for good reason - the project was a collaboration between the historic Frescobaldi family that has been producing wines in the Florentine region for centuries, as well as the prolific American winemaker Robert Mondavi (who had made it quite the modus operandi to form high profile wine-making partnerships around the world). The two sides would bring much to the table when it came to the partnership, with the Frescobaldi family supporting the project with giving it large swathes of prime land (a staggering 248 hectares!), and Mondavi's team offering up its New World winemaking sensibilities.

The altar of the Santo Spirito church in Florence.

This was a collaboration that was sparked in the early 90's, and was envisioned as the first Montalcino winery to produce a Super Tuscan blend of Sangiovese (the quintessential Montalcino variety) and Merlot - the latter of which would be its qualifier for the haloed category. The project was given the name "Luce" to mean "Light" in Italian and was romanticised as paying homage to the Tuscan sunlight which gives life (if you go to their website you'll find your cursor is followed by a little light orb even), and to showcase Montalcino in a new light. The name and logo (the many-rayed Sun known as Sol Solis) was inspired by the  Brunelleschi commissioned altar of the Santo Spirito church in Florence, which itself sits on land donated by the Frescobaldi family during the Renaissance.

Marchese Vittorio Frescobaldi (left) with Robert Mondavi (right).

That should clue you in on the prominence of the Frescobaldi family, which has been deeply involved in the political, social and economy aspects of Tuscany since the Middle Ages. They've produced Tuscan wines since 1308 and even have receipts of trading their wine for artworks with the renowned Italian Renaissance painter, Michelangelo. They've also been known to supply wines to the English King Henry VIII, who too was a fan. And as of late, the family has become rather deeply integrated into the Super Tuscan scene that has emerged from their part of the world - they've come to own two of the original Super Tuscans, Ornellaia and Masseto.

The partnership whilst initiated by Marchese Vittorio Frescobaldi, with Frescobaldi eventually taking over the entire project by 2004, is today helmed by his son, Lamberto Frescobaldi. Heading into the Tenuta Luce vineyards (southwest Montalcino, at its highest elevation points), you'll find 88 hectares (of the 248 hectares available) of vines, with the Sangiovese planted at a higher elevation where the soils are richer in sandstone and limestone, with the Merlot planted at a lower elevation with more clay heavy soils. Farming is done organically, with harvest begins with the Merlot in mid-September, with the Sangiovese harvested 3-4 weeks later. The two varieties are then blended together after fermentation and aged in 100% new French oak barrels.

Today we'll be trying the 2018 Lucente, which is the second wine of Tenuta Luce, coming from younger vines, being a 50/50 split of Sangiovese and Merlot, and is the product of the second selection from the vineyards, the first obviously going to the grand vin Luce - worth noting is that the Lucente is also about 1/2 to 1/5 the price of the Luce. It is aged for 12 months in 85% new oak barriques before being released.

Let's give this a go!

2018 Lucente, Tenuta Luce, Toscana IGT - Review

Tasting Notes

Colour: Ruby

Aroma: A concentrated but otherwise rather gentle bouquet on the nose, of earthy tobacco leaves, chewier mulberries and blackberries, dark cherry jam, accented by some florals of dried roses.

Taste: Rich, concentrated, yet fresh, it's forward and fuller with blackcurrant jams and blackberry jams. Medium-bodied with silky, soft tannins.

Finish: Into the finish, the earthiness shores up again with more on leather, chocolate, alongside the blackcurrant cordials and softer blackberry jams. The tannins stay light and fine. It's lightly sweet here with also some clove spice.

My Thoughts

What started out being a little closed off on the nose (perhaps more decanting would've done the trick), turned into a gorgeous body that was really concentrated with a deep richness, and yet showcased a very nice freshness to it. It brought out all these black fruit pastes and jams, that was delivered in a tidy fashion without going everywhere, along with some nice silky and fine tannins. The fullness of those flavours were really lovely, sandwiched by the earthiness on the nose and on the finish, giving the experience some excitement as well.

I liked the energy and focus on the body, but I would have preferred it to be bigger on the body with more plushness and breadth. Here it's rather narrow and concentrated, like a stream as opposed to a river which would've offered more expansiveness to explore.