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Luce della Vite, Luce, Vertical 1993-2002
AIS, Rome
Tasted January 17, 2006 by Barbara B with 871 views
Introduction
This was a interesting tasting, given the very public failure of the Mondavi-Frescobaldi joint venture and the fact that the yet-to-be released 2003 will be the last one. The vertical was presented by Tiziana Frescobaldi. She was very gracious, calling the joint venture an extraordinary experience and praising the Mondavi family for all its outstanding accomplishments. All wines were from magnums and had been stored in the Frescobaldi cellars. The wines were tasted without food over a 2.5 hour period.
Flight 1 (10 notes)
Red
1993 Luce della Vite Lucé
88 points
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 full appreciation. 28,000 bottles produced.
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Red
1994 Luce della Vite Lucé
84 points
Brick red, lots of fine sediment. Nothing much on the nose, except a touch of minerality and black pepper; hours later, still very little. Not much of a flavour profile; sharp and harsh at the front, and short and soft at the finish. Blend was 40:60 SG:Merlot. Fully mature. 28,800 bottles produced.
Red
1995 Luce della Vite Lucé
92 points
Red fading to garnet. Low intensity like the previous two, with a little fruit (currant-like), chocolate and spiciness showing up after a while in the glass. On the palate there was much more intensity and persistence, with nice earth and minerals; moderate alcohol (13.5%), good acidity, powdery and slightly astringent tannins; rich, full, reasonably complex, with great length. 50:50 SG:Merlot. Fully mature. 80,000 b2ottles produced.
Red
1996 Luce della Vite Lucé
89 points
Dark red fading to garnet. Not much intensity on the nose, traces of toasted/roasted things (coffee, cacao…) and plum-like fruits. On palate there was a little more intensity: minerality and roasted nuts, moderate alc and acidity, a little bitterness on the finish (a good bitterness). 60:40 SG:Merlot . 90,000 bottles produced. ****
Red
1997 Luce della Vite Lucé
83 points
Red with garnet rim. Expressive nose, some dark fruit and floral character; moderately intense. A little odd on the palate, with a funny yoghurt-like sourness, not fresh in its acidity (hardly any variation in the recorded pH and TA among the ten wines, however); everything else in a moderate range. May not be a representative bottle. 50:50 SG:Merlot. 100,000 bottles produced.
Red
1998 Luce della Vite Lucé
92 points
Red with garnet rim. Some balsamic character on the nose, and the typical minerality, earthiness, and roasted coffee, cacao, and nuts. More intensity on the palate: minerality, clean earthiness, chocolate and coffee notes; good acidity, firm but smooth tannins. Good body, length and complexity. 50:50 SG:Merlot. 100,000 bottles produced.
Red
1999 Luce della Vite Lucé
84 points
Ruby red core, narrow garnet rim. Nice aromatic profile: flowers, chocolate, dried fruit, sweet spices. Not as wonderful on the palate with a tannic tree-bark kind of character dominating; moderate acidity; alcohol declared at 14.5% while all earlier vintages were 13.5%, but didn’t detect it, neither in increased heat or body. Not as long or complex as most of the others. 50:50 SG:Merlot. 120,000 bottles produced. [I expected more from the 1999; it was a great vintage for SG and Montalcino; maybe not such a great vintage for Merlot.] 120,000 bottles produced.
Red
2000 Luce della Vite Lucé
93 points
2000: Dark purple, deep, dense, lots of sediment (surprisingly). Potent on the nose: floral, fruity (e.g. currants), chocolate, mint and other balsamic notes; very expressive. Potent on palate too, with good minerality and earth; good acidity; firm, full, smooth tannins; high alc (14.5% and this time I believe it) giving great body, not heat. Very concentrated, with all components nicely in balance. This vintage, and the next three all had much higher percentage of new oak in the winemaking – 90% – compared to 50-66% new oak for previous vintages; yet it worked well with the greater extraction/concentration from 2000 onward. 40:60 SG:Merlot. 130,000 bottles produced.
Red
2001 Luce della Vite Lucé
94 points
Blackish purple, thick and dense. Very intense and persistent on the nose, with dark fruits, tobacco, cacao. On palate, no primary fruit character, but loads of minerality, clean earthiness, toasted nuts, and sweet spices; moderate acidity, big tannins (but not astringent), alcohol @14.5%). This wine is concentrated, rich, long, complex and very nicely balanced. 50:50 SG:Merlot. [This was a great vintage for Montalcino]. 87,000 bottles produced.
Red
2002 Luce della Vite Lucé
85 points
Black, thick, dense. On the nose, very intense, with strong oak, vanilla, chocolate, cherries. On palate, smooth/soft tannins, lowish acidity, high alcohol sensation (14.5% declared), probably because the other structural components are not providing enough counter-balance. Very different from all the others. [This was a great year for Merlot in Tuscany; less great for SG]. 25:75 SG:Merlot. Big new-world style wine, not a trace of Tuscan typicity; can’t even think of a Tuscan dish to match it with. Only 8,000 bottles produced.
Closing
We did not taste the 2003. They’ve gone back to the 50:50 blend, and it should be comparable to 2001. It will be the last vintage of Luce; the end.