Luce della Vite Luce della Vite Lucé, Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

From my posting on Instagram: In Vino Veritas (in wine there is truth; people speak the truth when they are drunk), bottles #99, 100 and 101 of my cellar sacrifices. Did some more cellar culling this weekend and finally got around to drinking my 3 only bottles of Luce; which was an initial release 1993, and the two subsequent years, 94 and 95. As background, it originally started out as a collaboration between Frescobaldi and Mondavi, with a blend of …

Forward cherry and forest floor notes; ripe cherry but there is at the same time a green note that persists; mushrooms; balance palate; decent length.

Luce della Vite, Luce, Vertical 1993-2002 (AIS, Rome) : Brick red core, orange rim. Not much on the nose at first, but it evolved modestly in the glass with some balsamic character and notes of mature fruits, roasted coffee. Sharp acidity (typical Sangiovese), moderate alcohol (13.5%), noticeable but mellow tannins, good earthy (clean, not “rustic”) and minerally characteristics. Nice blend (60% SG, 40% Merlot) with SG clearly dominating in the sensory profile. Perfectly mature. Best with heavy Tuscan-style food for …

Sangiovese and Cabernet working together very nicely. Mostly fresh aromas seemed younger than 12 years old. Cross-section of lots of cherries with lots of acid and tannic structural support. Good balance, good length. Entering its peak drinking window, probably good another decade.

Disappointing for a Luce. Aerate for 1.5 hours, then it comes out very restrained and pale. Cherry with some velvet. Soft but indifferent on the palate and finish. Already dead after 2.5 hours.

Mostly black fruit, still quite fresh, but more backward and highly structured than expected. Better in a few more years, but not 100% certain it will integrate perfectly.