Tenuta Luce della Vite Grappa featured image
Tenuta Luce della Vite Grappa NV
Vintage
NV
Region
Tuscany
Country
Italy
Style
Spirit
Grape Varieties
Merlot, Sangiovese
ABV
40%
Dietary
Vegetarian
Sustainability
Sustainable Certification
Tenuta Luce
Tenuta Luce is a Montalcino estate in Tuscany, Italy, the first wine in Montalcino to bring together Sangiovese and Merlot. Founded in the early 1990s, the estate is a joint venture between the Frescobaldi family and Robert Mondavi, Luce was among the first estates to challenge convention in Montalcino by combining Sangiovese with Merlot. It helped establish a new category of premium Tuscan wines that sit between Brunello tradition and Super-Tuscan innovation. Located south-west of Montalcino, the estate produces premium Tuscan red wine, Brunello and Super Tuscan-style expressions from a landscape of varied soils, altitudes and exposures. The estate offers a distinctive bridge between Montalcino tradition and contemporary fine wine.
Read MoreViticulture
Grappa di Luce is produced from the pomace of Sangiovese and Merlot grapes grown for Luce. The skins ferment for an extended period with their must before distillation, ensuring aromatic depth and intensity in the resulting spirit. Distillation is carried out as soon as the pomace arrives at the distillery in October, preserving freshness and character. This direct link to the Luce wine production gives the grappa its identity, based on the same Sangiovese and Merlot material used for the estate’s flagship wine.
Vinification
Grappa di Luce is distilled at Distillerie Poli using an artisanal single-batch method. The copper pot still is among the oldest still functioning, with chambers made entirely of copper. The pomace is heated by currents of steam, then distilled in three-hour batch cycles. After each cycle, the processed skins are removed and fresh pomace is loaded for the next distillation. The grappa is then matured for three years in 225-litre Allier oak barriques.
Tasting Note
Luminous golden in colour, with straw and silver highlights and exceptional clarity. The nose shows fruit bread, cinnamon, nutmeg and honey, followed by stewed tropical fruit, banana, pineapple and vanilla cr?me. The palate opens with austere intensity, moving into flavours of sherry, honey and spice. Notes of baked nectarine, clove, dried plum and raisin build complexity. The finish is refined, long and aromatically persistent.
Food Pairing
Serve at the end of a meal in a tulip-shaped glass at 18?20?C. Pair with semi-sweet chocolate, almond biscuits, panforte, dried fruit, aged hard cheeses or espresso-led desserts.
Bottle Shots - Tenuta Luce della Vite Grappa NV
