Thirty years–or rather, thirty vintages–have passed since Tenuta Luce pioneers, Vittorio Frescobaldi and Robert Mondavi, decided to mix Sangiovese with Merlot and create Luce in the wild surroundings of Montalcino, in Tuscany. To celebrate this important milestone, Christie’s at Rockefeller Plaza hosted a tasting of different vintages of Luce, 2022 and 2013, and Lucente of 2022, a more Merlot-forward variety, combining them with rich delicacies to enhance their unmistakable flavor.
“Our collaboration with Christie’s was born from my long friendship with Tim Triptree, MW and International Director of Christie’s Wine & Spirits Department,” Tenuta Luce’s PR & Communication Director Andrea Orsini Scataglini said. “We met in Singapore in 1997. Since then, we have worked together on some auctions of our most prized vintages, including Luce’s 20th harvest, too. The next event is an auction to sell this limited edition of Luce–brand-new bottles with the sun label on it–together with a ticket to come visit Tenuta HQs in Tuscany, experience the environment, the harvest, the production, and meet our experts. This is not the winemaker’s wine, but the ultimate expression of our land and only visiting our winery personally you realize how much beauty affects this product.”
Recently, Triptee had a chance to taste all the Luce vintages, from the youngest 2022 to the very first 1993, and review them. “His favorite is the 2022 because it is fruitier. You can taste that there has been a lot of sunshine,” Peter Rusinak, Vice President, Wine Specialist at Christie’s Americas, commented on behalf of Triptee. Orsini Scataglini affirmed that, “Triptee’s analysis showed clearly an existing stylistic thread between all the vintages, even though so many years have passed and there is an extremely terrible climate change going on. They could have gone in any direction, but they were set up so well that Luce’s identity is unmistakable.”
Michele Drusian, Tenuta Luce Marketing & Sales Director, could not agree more, “The link between Luce and Montalcino is unique. That area is also known for Brunello di Montalcino, which is made of 100% Sangiovese, while Luce is the perfect blend of Sangiovese and Merlot. It has always been a personal choice, much related to the vision of the entrepreneurs Frescobaldi since the beginning in the ‘90s when they decided to grow Merlot left over from the French in the area.”
Now the vineyard extends for nearly 230,000 acres, 131,000 of which are Merlot, 91,000 of Sangiovese, and 8,000 of Cabernet Sauvignon, which gives them the Lux Vitis. On average, they produce 350,000 to 400,000 bottles of Lucente, 120,000 of Luce, 40,000 to 50,000 of Brunello, and 10,000 of Lux. With the exception of Brunello, which by law, must age at least three months in the cellar, all other bottles are sent to Sieci, near Florence, the site of Frescobaldi’s wine cellar.
Winemaker Alessandro Marini and his team of around 15 people work every day to keep Tenuta Luce’s identity intact. “It is more about the intrinsic philosophy of the Frescobaldi family, which is to do the best every year from the starting potential that we have. We work towards perfection, raising the bar of quality higher,” which is what has made Luce stand out over these 30 years.
“Based on Triptee’s anthology, we will present a selection of our best vintages to our clients here in New York, in Chicago (IL), and in Austin and Dallas (TX) in the next few days,” Drusian said. The tasting at Christie’s was only the first stop of a year-long journey around the globe for Tenuta Luce’s team: from Montalcino to Christie’s offices in London (UK) and Milan (IT), to Japan in May, then off to Canada in October. “The Japanese are as obsessive as Italians on high-quality products, while Canadians and Americans are easier to please, but brutally honest,” explained Drusian. In total, 86 countries import Luce, from its signature Merlot-Sangiovese blend to traditional varieties like Brunello.
