The latest vintage of Luce Brunello di Montalcino is beautifully structured and lively, a tribute to the Montalcino denomination
Montalcino, Italy, March 13, 2023–Tenuta Luceis proud to announce the release of the 2018 vintage of its Brunello di Montalcino in international markets and in the US, where it will be available in the upcoming months. The latest vintage is a Brunello with a rare combination of attributes, boasting structure, a lively character, and graceful finesse. This vintage represents Tenuta Luce’s tribute to the Montalcino classic tradition and serves as a pure example of the elegance and prestige that have always been the hallmarks of Luce estate.
“Luce Brunello 2018 shows an intense ruby red color,” says Tenuta Luce winemaker Alessandro Marini. “The nose is complex and fragrant, with notes of ripe red fruit supported by pleasant sensations of blond tobacco and exotic spices. In the mouth, the wine is harmonious, rich and highly structured, with silky tannins, a pleasant acidity, and a very long finish. A sophisticated and powerful wine.”
The Madonnino vineyard, where the aspect and soil composition are ideal for Sangiovese, yielded the grapes for Luce Brunello 2018, which were harvested in early October and fermented for 10 days at 26 °C in concrete vats. After four weeks of maceration on the skins, the young Brunello matured a minimum of 24 months in large Slavonian oak ovals, before being bottled in July 2022.
2018 GROWING SEASON
The 2018 growing season began with a mild January, then February brought plentiful snow and rains, which built up groundwater reserves. Spring was characterized by above-average temperatures, which combined with numerous rainfalls, brought rapid shoot growth. The rains continued during flowering in early June, reducing the crop-load per vine. The summer was mild, with neither excessive rain nor heat waves. These conditions encouraged a normal cluster development and rapid veraison in the first week of August. September brought some rains, but mild temperatures allowed the grapes to develop crisp aromas and to achieve full ripeness. The harvest started on October 2nd.
About Tenuta Luce
Tenuta Luce lies southwest of the town of Montalcino, in the heart of the Val d’Orcia Natural Park, a rural landscape sensitively re-designed by man in the pre-Renaissance era and declared by UNESCO in 2004 a World Heritage Site. This extraordinary corner of earth, historically renowned for its world-class wines, hosts the 249 hectares of the Luce wine estate, set among woods and olive groves, with 88 hectares of vineyards: a lightly inhabited, near-pristine environment rich in biodiversity. Its beneficial sunlight and well-ventilated conditions, gift of its unique exposure, and its diversity of soils at different elevations all combine to make Tenuta Luce a truly privileged place, where the harmony of all these components is respected and protected. That respect is reflected in the winemaking as well, where each process of production is performed with meticulous care, in order to preserve the harmony achieved in the vineyard. The fruits of this enlightened philosophy and unique terroir are Tenuta Luce wines Luce, Lucente, Luce Brunello, and Lux Vitis, the culmination of an ambitious project begun in the early 1990s aimed at obtaining the fullest expression of the Montalcino territory yet with an utterly distinctive individual style. www.tenutaluce.com
