Luce della Vite

Christie’s auctions Luce for the Baryshnikov Arts Center

It was a 57,100-dollar triumph, the amount that Christie’s gavelled down to close the bidding of prestigious Italian wines organised by the London-based auction house. That made it possible for Luce to donate that same amount to the Baryshnikov Arts Center, the foundation created by Russian ballet genius Mikhail Baryshnikov to encourage young talent across the entire spectrum of the arts.

The auction was followed with intense interest by attending wine connoisseurs, who put bids on twenty separate lots, the same number of vintages that Luce is celebrating this year, a collection of twenty utterly unique and priceless vintages and bottle sizes, as distinctive and invaluable as the assistance that Luce has proudly given to the arts.

Luce is the result of a project launched in the early 1990s, the fruit of a dream of two leaders in the history of wine, Vittorio Frescobaldi and Robert Mondavi.

Their common goal was to unite together their individual passionate commitments and their own personal traditions, in order to offer the world a truly exceptional, utterly different wine, grown in the heart of Montalcino. Their sons, Lamberto and Tim, at that time both young winemakers, were the ones who brought into reality their fathers’ vision, uniting together in a magisterial blend, Sangiovese and Merlot, a wine that was given the name Luce, as tribute to an element essential for the flourishing of every new being.

The first two vintages, 1993 and 1994, were released together, in 1997, and aroused enormous interest, fascinated by the innovative character that was the hallmark of this project. But that was just the beginning, and any uncertainty engendered by the arrival on stage of an unexpected new actor quickly gave way to appreciation for the new wine’s indubitable quality.

Year after year, Luce succeeded in crafting an expression that was uniquely individual to each growing season. Beginning with the 2004 vintage, the direction of Luce was entrusted solely to Lamberto Frescobaldi.

Located southwest of Montalcino, Tenuta Luce della Vite comprises 192 hectares, with 77 dedicated to vines. Some of the vineyards date back to 1977, but the majority were planted at the beginning of 1997, at an average density of 6,100 vines per hectare.

Lying at elevations ranging from 350 to 420 metres, the Luce della Vita estate is one of the highest in Montalcino. The higher sections of the estate display galestro-rich, well-drained soils with little organic matter, ideal conditions for growing Sangiovese, while in the lower areas the soil exhibits more clay and sand, in which Merlot flourishes. The long, dry, sun-filled summers characteristic of this area, plus the vineyards’ south-facing exposure,guarantee the grapes a gradual and consistent ripening, which in turn yields wines of superb concentration and vigour.

Vineyard management practices follow the canons of sustainable agriculture, which favours organic practices that ensure the vine’s health and balance.

Vine yield, averaging 30 hectolitres of wine per hectare, is deliberately kept very low in order to produce a wine that will express all the qualities of its grape variety and its terroir. Cluster and leaf-thinning are normal practices. Merlot and Sangiovese come to complete ripeness three or four weeks apart, between mid-September and early October, so they are harvested separately, parcel by parcel, then manually inspected as they arrive at the cellar and are vinified individually. Only after the fermentations conclude, towards the end of November, are the lots blended together.

With Luce at its centre, a universe of creations has evolved, products that are its peers in character, in colours, in spirit, an entire world composed of the most creative brands and leaders in the field of Italian design, craftsmanship, and gourmet foods, all inspired by the character of a wine so different from any other, with the goal of crafting projects equally ambitious. After enriching the casa, with inspirational contributions naturally closest to its own, (the dining table), Luce has enlarged the scope of its projects to the widest range of sublime expressions of Italianità, products whose souls are in harmony with Luce, in this way composing a collection as rare, and as unique as Luce.