Ca’ dei Frati, I Frati Lugana

Description

This wine is a pale yellow in colour, with a concentrated and fresh perfume of white flowers, peaches, spice and candied fruits. The `I Frati` has excellent depth and balance and a crisp, saline finish.

In the last two decades, the Dal Cero family have transformed Ca’ dei Frati, on the southern shores of Lake Garda, into a thriving estate. Originally comprising just 12 hectares of vines, the family purchased significant vineyard holdings in 2008, growing Ca’ dei Frati to over 200 hectares. This increase in quantity is matched by quality and today Ca’ dei Frati are among the best producers in Lugana.

The quality of Ca’ dei Frati’s wines derives from Igino Dal Cero’s obsessive attention to detail. All the estate fruit is picked by hand and directly pressed, without skin contact, to retain delicate perfumes and enhance the supple texture of the whites. Igino also inhibits malolactic fermentation to give his wines a vibrant lift. He is convinced that a period of lees ageing post fermentation creates greater richness on the palate. This also contributes to a flintiness on the nose which makes his wines almost Burgundian in character.

The ‘I Frati’ Lugana is lively and scented, consistently offering superb value from vintage to vintage. It is made solely from the Turbiana grape variety, which is closely related to Verdicchio and formerly known as Trebbiano di Lugana and Lugana. The resulting wine has a depth and zippy acidity that few wines from this area demonstrate.