Brolettino lugana 2023 (Ca dei Frati)

Cellar for up to 6 years. Serve chilled. This unusual Italian white is crafted from the Turbiana grape, a variety that is little known outside its homeland of Lugana along the southern banks of Italy’s famous Lake Garda. Thought to be related to Verdicchio grape, the variety typically produces charming tropical pineapple, mandarin orange and bitter almond notes along with hints of rose petals. Ca dei Frati harvests the grapes for this wine in the middle of October from vines which were planted in 1971. The young wine is then vinified in stainless steel tanks and matured in oak barrels for 10 months before bottling. The result is an opulent, creamy-textured wine with attractive ripe stone fruit notes complemented aby vanilla and honey from the barrel maturation. The intense flavour profile makes this a great partner for roast chicken, creamy fish dishes, and aged cheeses. The earliest reference to Ca dei Frati dates back to 1782, but the modern winery was founded in 1939 by Felice Dal Cero who realised the area’s exceptional viticultural potential. Over the past couple of decades the Del Cero family have transformed the winery into Lugana’s top producer. They create crisp, characterful whites from typical local varieties as well as elegant, well-balanced reds from the family’s 200 hectares of estate vineyards.