Exceptional 2007 Vintage Of Luce Released

A new vintage of Luce, the flagship wine of the Luce della Vite estate in Montalcino has arrived. Luce 2007 is an exceptional wine from an outstanding vintage, which provided the perfect conditions to create a wine of structure, elegance, and balance.

According to winemaker Lamberto Frescobaldi: "with the 2007 vintage Luce has really come into its own. We have now spent over a decade cultivating the vineyards and fine-tuning our methods, and this wine marks an important maturation of the wines and estate. Luce 2007 is a fantastic wine and expresses beautifully what is exciting about Italian wine in the 21st Century."

Luce 2007 is a blend of Merlot (45%) and Sangiovese (55%) that benefited from an ideal growing season. The winter brought abundant rains, allowing the vineyards to build up reserves of moisture. Spring was mild, with moderate temperatures and sparse rains, followed by a summer of hot sunny days and cool nights, resulting in sound, healthy fruit. The wine is a deep ruby red, with aromas of dark fruit, herbs, and spice. Luce 2007 has a powerful structure balanced by a supple, velvety mouth feel, with integrated tannins and a supporting acidity that ensures the wine's vibrancy.

With a striking sun motif on the label that references the importance of light in the winegrowing process, Luce, which means "light" in Italian, refers to one of the crucial elements in the creation of wine and also refers to the idea of light as reason, thought, and progress. The sun motif also references a design found on the Altare Maggiore in Florence's Santo Spirito Church, which was built on land donated by the Frescobaldi family.

Luce 2007 ($93.00 SRP) is imported by Folio Fine Wine Partners and is available at fine wine shops and restaurants around the country. Luce della Vite was founded in 1995 by a unique partnership between two historic winemaking families: Marchesi de' Frescobaldi and Robert Mondavi. Today, Luce della Vite is wholly owned by the Frescobaldi family, with Lamberto Frescobaldi as the winemaker. For Lamberto, Luce is a melding of his family's 700-year history of making wine and his decidedly modern perspective. Grounded in the rich earth of Montalcino and blessed with a terroir uniquely suited to the production of Merlot, the vision has always been, and will always be to produce world-class wines that fully express the distinctive characteristics of the grape and soil.

Folio Fine Wine Partners was founded in 2004 by Michael Mondavi and his wife, Isabel, with their children, Dina and Rob, who oversees winegrowing operations for the company. Folio is an importer, fine wine agency and producer of quality wines from the world's premiere and emerging wine regions. Folio provides sales, marketing and public relations services to wine brands from California, Argentina, Italy, Austria, and Germany.