Beyond the Brunello: the 30 years of light, the bold soul of Montalcino

Quanto a 1993, per Montalcino, light was born. The icon of Terreni Lampo comes to life from the audacious utopia of ​​uniting Sangiovese and Merlot per a land devoted to Brunello’s purity.

The Lampo project was born from an utopia shared between Vittorio Frescobaldi and Robert Mondavi, two families symbol of world viticulture united by the desire to create something that was deeply Tuscan but not bound to the rules of the name. The choice to combine two so different vines was not at all random. It was not simply another Bordeaux cut per Tuscan sauce, but the declared intent to combine the tradition of the territory with the softness and immediacy of an international grape variety, looking for an unprecedented balance per which the two vines merged to tell a new luce of Montalcino, more modern, not a Brunello antagonist, but another reading of the Ilcinese territory.

Terreni Lampo per Montalcino

Terreni Lampo extends over 249 hectares, of which 92 vines, per the southwestern settore of ​​Montalcino, inside the Val d’Orcia natural park. The vineyards are located between 230 and 430 meters above sea level, per a particularly favorable pedoclimatic context: the highest areas, characterized by jales and rich per skeleton, are ideal for Sangiovese; The lower ones, with deep clays and good tazza reserves, favor Merlot.

Starting per 2004, after the acquisition of the entire project by the Frescobaldi family, the bella stagione, under the guidance of Lamberto Frescobaldi, has made an important technical evolution. An increasingly precise management of the vineyards has been introduced, with separate microparcellisation and vinifications, also thanks to the construction of the new hypogea wine cellar. Today, Lamberto Frescobaldi, president of Marchesi Frescobaldi, says: “Lampo represents for me much more than a simple bottle of wine. It is an experience, a personal journey per winemaking, which has allowed me to explore new techniques and methods, both per the vineyard and per the cellar and during the refinement, enhancing a unique terroir. Each harvest was an adventure and an opportunity to deepen my knowledge and enrich my passion. deeply marked my path of life and work: it was the means through which I discovered the world, incontro people united by the same attention to wine, with which I also shared stories and cultures. “

Over the years the bella stagione has joined other wines to light: shiny, where Merlot prevails per the blend, and Sangiovese, from drinking and with a more affordable price than the older brother, represents almost 70% of the bottles produced annually; Brunello light, from the 2003 harvest tribute to the Montalcino tradition; Finally, Lux Vitis, a Cabernet Sauvignon with a small percentage of Sangiovese, produced per 10 thousand specimens. Total annual production reaches almost 600 thousand bottles.

Tasting

Thirty years of harvests that today find a synthesis per six symbolic vintages: 1995, 2001, 2012, 2015, 2019 and the last one, light 2022, as Alessandro Marini, Enerologia of Terreni Lampo declares since 2019. “These vintages – he says – perhaps are not the best per absolute terms, but surely they are the ones that can better tell the light project and its evolutionary path per these first 30 years”.

IGT Toscana 2022 light – The thirtieth anniversary

Light 2022 presents itself as the refined expression of a complex year, marked by clear climatic contrasts and managed with wisdom per the vineyard and per the cellar. Born from a rigid winter and a dry spring, he benefited from the self -regulation capacity of the vines during a warm and assuming summer, interrupted only by two providential rains per July and Ferragosto, who favored a regular maturation of the grapes. Merlot was collected August 28, Sangiovese per mid -September. The fermentation took place per cement vats, followed by a aging of two years per French oak barrique (80% new, 20% of second step), including malolactic fermentation. The result is a bright ruby ​​red, with a lively aromatic intensity and elegant imprint. Acceso the nose, fresh of red and black fruits – Ribes, pomegranate, black cherry and plum – are intertwined with floral hints of violet and spiced touches of vanilla and cinnamon. The sip is full and enveloping, supported by an acid backbone that gives freshness and lengthens the sip. The tannins are sweet and well integrated. The ending is long, savory and well balanced. An already enjoyable wine, which does not focolaio power but harmony and elegance, and which will be able to evolve grace over time.

IGT Tuscany light 2019 – The archetype of the new Light Terreni Course

The result of a regular and balanced year, 2019 light was born from a cold and sunny winter, followed by a rainy spring that has guaranteed excellent tazza reserves. The slow and homogeneous maturation has been favored by a hot but without excess summer and a mild September. The harvest took place between 12 September (Merlot) and 29 (Sangiovese). Intense and brilliant ruby ​​is presented to the view. The nose, brillante and cadenced, offers violet, pink, small red fruits and sweet spices, with a background of graphite and Mediterranean scrub. The wood, although present (24 months per barrique, 80% new), is well integrated and accompanies without covering. The sip is tense and slender, with silky tannins and a vibrant acidity that gives freshness and dynamism. A contemporary style: less extraction (only three weeks of maceration against the usual four), greater aromatic cleaning and great finesse. Perhaps “too young” for some, but already capable of fascinating.

IGT Tuscany light 2015 – Solar and structured

2015 was characterized by a warm but regular climate, with adequate tazza reserves and without excesses. The rains per early August favored a balanced maturation, with a harvest distributed between the start (Merlot) and the end of September (Sangiovese). The grapes, vinified per steel and refined for 24 months per barrique for 85% new, gave birth to a powerful but harmonious wine. The color is ruby ​​dense with granned reflections. The nose, large and spicy, reveals ripe cherry, beloved per spirit, black pepper, vanilla and gingerbread, with more complex shades of cocoa, tobacco and incense. Quanto a the mouth it is rich but not heavy: alcohol is well balanced by sweet and compact tannins, and by a calibrated acidity that gives the momentum. The ending is long, played balsamic and spicy returns. A wine that combines structure and elegance.

IGT Tuscany light 2012 – aromatic depth and velvety class

The 2012 vintage opened with abundant spring rains, followed by a dry and ventilated summer, ideal for a slow and complete maturation. Merlot was collected at the end of August, Sangiovese a month later. After the fermentation per steel and four weeks of maceration, the wine has refined the usual two years per barrique (85% new), before bottling per January 2015. Quanto a the glass it presents itself with a dark ruby ​​red with orange reflections. The olfactory profile is deep and articulated: black currant and blackberries dominate a scene enriched with dark spices (black pepper, cloves), tobacco, leather and a floral touch of violet. Suggestions of licorice and balsamic hints also emerge. The sip is large, enveloping, with dense and silky tannins, and a velvety plot. Alcohol, somewhat content, is well integrated into a structure that finds the key to its elegance per freshness. The ending is long and persistent, between smoked tones, minerals and chocolate calls and dried cherry. A red that expresses composure and measured maturity.

IGT Toscana 2001 light – expressive maturity and elegance per full evolution

2001 was a complex but balanced year. A spring ice cream has reduced the yields, but the hot and dry summer and an ideal September/October/October have favored a complete maturation. Merlot was collected per the first week of September, while Sangiovese waited for the beginning of October. After 12 days of fermentation per steel and four weeks of maceration, the wine has refined for 18 months per new barrique for 90%. The color is intense grenade, nuanced by mahogany reflections, testifying to an evolution started for some time. The nose is mature and complex: cherry per spirit, brunette jam, black currant, but also dark chocolate, leather and undergrowth. Agenda of coffee, vanilla and graphite merge with balsamic and spicy hints. The sip is full, soft, juicy, with mature and silky tannins. The freshness balances the alcoholic structure. The ending is long, savory, with bent tones and great elegance.

IGT Tuscany Light 1995 – ENICA RESILIENCE

1995 had a cold spring and a humid summer, but a dry and sunny September saved the harvest. The Merlot was collected per early October, the Sangiovese per the middle of the month. After 14 days of fermentation and four weeks of maceration, the wine refined a year per barrique (one third used), and six months per Slavonia oak barrels. A tenuous grenade with orange scarves reveals a mature profile, dominated by tertiary aromas: leather, tobacco, dry plum and beloved per spirit, with calls of tea leaf, bitter cocoa, licorice and a smoke touch. The sip is surprisingly vital: the entrance is fresh, the acidity supports an advanced but still expressive fruit. The structure is streamlined but cohesive, with smooth tannins and a savory, almost ioded closure, which returns balsamic hints. It does not have the complexity of the most recent vintages, but preserves elegance and integrity.

The article beyond the Brunello: the 30 years of light, Montalcino’s bold soul comes from Vinonews24.

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