Purple-red color; black cherry, blackberry, spice on the nose; cherry, red plum, redcurrant, raspberry on the palate.
Super Tuscan blend of merlot and sangiovese (that is what makes it a Super Tuscan; sangiovese alone or as the dominant grape from this region would make it a Chianti). Significant, fine-grained tannins—benefits from decanting—but still puckering on the finish. Smooth even silky, easy drinker—for a Super Tuscan; 14% alcohol.
Lucente is Luce’s second wine., sourced from the same vineyards as their leading bottling, Luce. Matured in oak barriques (55% new French oak), imparting oak that integrates nicely with tannins, rich fruit flavors, and excellent acidity (3.37 pH).
Luce della Vite was established in 1995 through a collaboration between Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi and Robert Mondavi with the intention of producing a world-class wine that expresses distinctive characteristic of the Montalcino region. This succeeds.
“Luce” is the Italian word for “light” and reflects the importance of light in the creation of wine, specifically the sunlight needed to mature grapes. The Luce label is inspired by a sunburst found at the Altare Maggiore, an altar in the Santo Spirito church in Florence. The church was created at the end of the 15th century by Filippo Brunelleschi, the architect of the Italian Renaissance, on land donated by the Frescobaldi family—forebears of the makers of this wine.
Tenuta Luce Della Vite Lucente Toscana Red Wine 2013 is affordable, delicious in a big-wine, Super-Tuscan way, widely available, will go very well with rich red meats and Italian foods and tomato-based sauces. $26-34
Tenuta Luce Della Vite website
Second photo: Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi
