Ferrari Giulio Ferrari Riserva Lunelli 2016
Ferrari Giulio Ferrari Riserva Lunelli
Region: Trento DOC, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy
Vintage: 2016
Bottle size: 75cl
Grape: Chardonnay
ABV: 12.5%
Bright gold hues with fine bubbles. On the nose it is distinctively complex, with flavours of stone fruit, toasted almond, licorice, panforte and cinnamon and hints of coffee and anise. The palate is rich and elegant, showing balance and complexity of flavours. The finish recalls spicy and sweet pastry notes, with a long persistence..
The Chardonnay grapes used for this wine come from the family’s own vineyards in the Trento area. The majority would be sourced from the vineyard surrounding Villa Margon, the splendid 16th century country house that acts as Cantine Ferrari’s hospitality centre.
This wine is a homage to Bruno Lunelli and the winemaking for traditional method sparkling wines in the 50s and 60s, before the introduction of stainless-steel fermenters. It represents synthesis of tradition and innovation, being the only Ferrari wine whose first fermentation takes place in large Austrian oak casks, as in the days of Bruno Lunelli. The fermentation in wood casks gives the wine greater body, an intriguing richness and roundness on the palate. Part of the wine is also aged in oak casks before being blended and bottled for the second fermentation with the addition of Ferrari’s selection of yeast strains. The wines are then aged for at least seven years in the bottle before disgorgement.
For over a century, Ferrari has made some of Italy’s finest ‘Metodo Classico’ sparkling wines in the Trento DOC. Their enduring reputation for quality, stemming from meticulous grape selection and state-of-the-art winemaking, has ensured that they remain a reference point for the category today.
Founder Giulio Ferrari honed his craft in Champagne before returning to Trento in 1902, at which point the territory was still part of the Austrian Empire. Here, he founded his eponymous winery and began making bottle-fermented wines to compete with the finest champagnes. Having no children to inherit the business, Giulio entrusted his legacy to local wineshop owner Bruno Lunelli in 1952. The Lunelli family has continued Giulio’s legacy in line with Ferrari’s founding principle: to express the singularity of the Trentino territory through exceptional sparkling wines. They currently own 100 hectares of certified organic vineyards within the region, all dedicated to the production of Ferrari’s exceptional wines.
https://www.ferraritrento.com