Score: 91/100
This wine by Sansonina is a wild-fermented white made under the Lugana DOC, meaning it was fermented using the natural yeasts present on the grapes at harvest. A ‘spontaneous fermentation’ or fermentazione spontanea if you prefer, in Italian.
The aim is to reveal an even-more authentic expression of the local terroir, or as the producer puts it “enhance the relationship with the Garda landscape”.
It is also a single vineyard wine, made from the Moraro Verde site, with 100% Trebbiano di Lugana grapes.
Tasting Notes
This Italian white wine from the Lugana area comes in a rather intense lemon-yellow color, with some golden hues intensifying it.
The nose is also very intense, even more intense really, with 2 main elements bursting with powerful aromas: ripe but fresh lemon, and fermenting sour dough smells.
It is so deep and powerful to smell, it almost makes you uncomfortable, but somehow in a positive way. There’s intense white pepper spicy aromas in there too, catching on and holding on to your senses and not letting go of your attention.
It’s unusual as a smell, but good. Warm ripe fruit characters, combined with these somewhat ‘funky’ fermentation aromas make for such an intriguing smelling experience. There’s elements of a Fino Sherry in the profile, from the fennel spices, and the iodine saline notes. You just want to dig in and find out how these translate on the palate.
Talking about it, the wine is just as bursting with flavors as it is bursting with aromas. It’s dry but round bodied and oily, with ripe sweet citrus flavors providing a sense of sweetness.
The dryness and acidity though, make sure we’re clearly here with a food-friendly European wine, acidic and savory more than sweet and fruity, although it does feel very fruity as well.
Flavors are those, again, of sour dough, ciabatta bread filled with lemon marmalade and a heap of exuberant spices.
Long savory finish on nutty notes of walnut and lemon peel.
Overall
A stunning white wine filled with a big-hearted personality. Big concentration of fruits and great mineral acidity have come as the result of the ‘spontaneous fermentation’. The natural yeasts have brought in complexity, depth, and uniqueness to already-exceptional Lugana Trebbiano grapes.
A must-taste for any lover of unusual yet delicious wines, especially mineral and oxidative white ones.
When to Dink?
Well, probably now if you want to enjoy the combination of fresh fruitiness together with the nutty oxidative goodness. If you’re after even further depth and more spices and walnut-like flavors, age it and I am sure it will deepen and amplify, develop even a bigger heart for a very long time, 5 to 20 years most probably.
Enjoy ?
Please let me know your thoughts