Lugana DOC - Destination Lugana Masterclass
New York City, NY, USA
Tasted November 15, 2022 by oldwines with 51 views
Introduction
Trade tasting sponsored by the Consorzio Tutela Lugana DOC. This was an informative introduction to the region and its wines which come from around lake Garda, one of the largest lakes in Europe. It is also one of very few Italian wine regions which actually span multiple geographic regions, in this case Lombardy and Veneto. All the wines tasted were made from the Turbiana grape, which while considered a native, indigenous grape, has been DNA tested and identified as Verdicchio. It may be a clone or at least there are several clones in the process of being registered as indigenous variants. In general the vast majority of the wines from the region are fermented and aged in stainless steel or other neutral non-wood vessels, many on the fine lees for various timeframes. The last 2 bottles tasted were aged in oak and it showed. All the wines were similarly high in acidity and that hard to define thing called "Minerality". They were mostly floral, citrus and stone fruited on the nose with lots of subtle variation. They were also surprisingly well textured and mostly quite low in alcohol. (12-13.5% with a couple exceptions). All were quite long on the finish especially when compared to similarly priced white wines in the market. They also have good aging potential, often for a decade or more.
Flight 1 - The Wines (10 notes)
The wines were tasted in 2 groups with no real reason to distinguish the groups other than practicality in the use of glasses and space so I just put them here all together.
White
2021 Cà Maiol Lugana
Italy, Lombardia / Veneto, Lugana
The wine is a pale lemon yellow. The nose has lots of white floral notes along with white peach and light citrus. With some air there was a metallic not on the nose as well. The palate has high acidity plenty of mineral impressions and a nice texture that is slightly oily. The fruit notes include stone fruit, green apple and some grapefruit on the finish that is slightly bitter but quite long. There is a little residual sugar. Pleasant and probably great with shellfish of all sorts. A good value.
White
2021 Zeni Lugana Vigne Alte
Italy, Lombardia / Veneto, Lugana
Light lemon yellow color. Nose is rather complex with tangerine zest, light white flowers, steel and apricot. It evolved a lot with some air. The palate was less expressive than most of the other Lugana wines I tasted today, but with some aggressive swirling I got some apricot and peach fruit notes. Overall it is very mineral driven with less fruit than most of the others. Also the acidity was a notch lower at more like medium(+) than high. Finish is moderately long and has a slightly bitter almond sense about it. Good value and food friendly with fish especially.
White
2021 Abate Family Wines Lugana
Italy, Lombardia / Veneto, Lugana
This is a bright but light lemon yellow color with maybe a slight hint of green. The nose is extremely expressive, showing herbal notes like tarragon as well as peach, green apple, lemon and tons of stony minerals. It has great texture and a richness about it that approaches the oily texture of a good Riesling. 12.5% ABV. Very high acidity and very mineral driven on the palate it also shows lemon along with the stone fruit and has a very long marzipan like finish. The Nose was really special and the texture as well perhaps partly due to the 3 months it spent on the fine lees with frequent bâtonnage. One of my favorites today. Good alone but also with food I am sure. Extremely good QPR although this is not readily available in the US as yet. Italy and Germany have it for the equivalent of $11-13 per bottle.
White
2021 Citari Lugana Vigneto La Conchiglia
Italy, Lombardia / Veneto, Lugana
This has a bright light to medium lemon yellow color. The nose is very stony with minerals galore as well as apricot, lime zest and plenty of herbal and floral notes. Palate has great texture (6 months on the lees with bâtonnage) along with saline, seashells, peach and meyer lemon. Very complex and long with a very lime zest finish. Really nice, versatile and a great QPR. Readily available around Europe for €10-13 but apparently not available in the US.
White
2021 Armea Lugana Vitium
Italy, Lombardia / Veneto, Lugana
Bright light lemon yellow. Very expressive nose with lime zest and stone fruit but also a motor oil like aroma that I didn't really care for so much. The texture here is a bit lighter and a little thin with a short finish. Reminds me of a cheap Sauvignon Blanc. Inexpensive and not flawed but not as unique and interesting as most of the others tasted today for me.
White
2021 Cobue Lugana Monte Lupo
Italy, Lombardia / Veneto, Lugana
Bright lemon yellow. Nose has a lot of peach, very forward, hints of smoke or grilled peach (despite all stainless steel aging) along with lemon pith and white flowers. A little less dense and textured than some of the others today. Some residual sugar, bright acidity, clean on the palate and was drinking. surprisingly long on the finish. I thought this was a kind of a fun, easy going wine, not a "serious" one. While that could be considered a pejorative I just got that sense about it. Could be a crown pleaser at a party. Great value!
White
2021 Monte Cicogna Lugana S. Caterina
Italy, Lombardia / Veneto, Lugana
Similar to the other wines tasted today from Lugana, this wine is a bright light to medium lemon yellow. The nose on this wine smells rather sweet and honied. It is effusive with mixed citrus, white florals, honeysuckle and white peach. Very complex and evolving. The palate has wonderful texture and seems bone dry with out any sweetness as experienced on the nose. The fruit is tangerine and other citrus, white peach and moderate but distinct earthy mineral and even some elements of melon and tropical fruit. This gets better with air. The finish is long with grapefruit and raw almond. Probably a wine to age in the cellar and I would think this could be really wonderful at age 8-10 in a good cellar. One of my favorites today.
White
2018 Ca' Lojera Lugana Del Lupo Riserva
Italy, Lombardia / Veneto, Lugana
This was the first wine of the tasting not from the most recent vintage but again aged only in stainless steel on the lees. It is similarly light to medium lemon yellow with a nose that screams melon and almonds. Nice texture and with 14% ABV it holds the alcohol well but is not quite as rich and "oily" as a couple others today. The acidity is a little lower (bottle age?) and toned down but there is a little residual sugar. Very mineral and moderately long on the finish. Among my favorites today probably due to the extra few years in bottle. Still, a good value despite being about double the price of some of the younger wines tasted today.
White
2018 Avanzi Lugana Riserva Vigneto Borghetta
Italy, Lombardia / Veneto, Lugana
This was the second Lugana wine tasted today that was not from the 2021 vintage and the first with any oak treatment. It was aged in 60% stainless steel and 40% barriques (not sue if all were new or not). There was distinct immediate vanilla on the nose along with white flowers, minerals and sweet spices. The oak influence dominated the fruit. Again the acidity was toned down and the fruit rather hidden by the wood influences. Perhaps with even more bottle age this will change for the better. But as is today I found this disappointing. Others perhaps would like it more due to the wood but I thought it covered the delightful varietal characteristics of Turbiana (Verdicchio).
White
2017 Corte Sermana Lugana Sermana Riserva
Italy, Lombardia / Veneto, Lugana
Last wine tasted today from Lugana, this was the oldest vintage and the second to have oak treatment... 60-70% stainless steel aging and 30-40% were aged in tonneau (about double+ the size of a barrique) with 12-15 months on the lees. The nose here was for me at first a little "skunky". It did give way to some white flowers, lemon pith and butterscotch which seemed to mask the varietal characteristics. Palate is creamy with lots of minerality and lemony fruit. Mouth feel is chewy and nice. Finish was moderately long. Once again I felt the oak detracted from the wine's character.
Closing
Great introduction and it showed a distinct opportunity for the relatively and absolutely well priced wines of this region to gain a foothold in the market. The wines compare favorably with most Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio for example. A few of these wines would be great for exploring on restaurant "By the Glass" menus. Lots of potential. In the interest of full disclosure, I have always had a positive view of Verdicchio and these are no different.
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