Montonale farms a handful of hectares on the southern shore of Lake Garda, in the Lombardy stretch of the Lugana zone, and bottles this as Montunal. The grape is Turbiana, grown on the clay and limestone ground that the lake's morainic hills left behind, and it is the only variety Lugana DOC allows.
- Turbiana, the sole grape of Lugana DOC.
- Lugana DOC, Lombardy, southern shore of Lake Garda.
- 2023, a warm year across northern Italy.
- Dry, 13.5% alcohol, high acidity.
- Fermented and aged in stainless steel.
How it is made
Lugana sits in a small zone that straddles Lombardy and Veneto, and the rules are strict about what can go in the bottle: Turbiana, and nothing else. The vineyards here are on morainic soils, gravel, clay and limestone pushed down by ancient glaciers, which drain fast and stress the vines into ripening slowly. Turbiana keeps its acid even in a warm vintage, which is why Lugana holds its shape where many northern Italian whites go soft.
How it tastes
Intense pale yellow in the glass. White peach and lemon zest lead, with a balsamic thyme note over the top, then almond and a saline, flinty finish that comes straight off those lakebed soils. Medium body, high acidity, low tannin, bone dry. The citrus and the mineral edge stay in balance rather than one pushing the other aside.
Good to know
Lugana is one of the few Italian white appellations with a real reputation for ageing. Bottles from good producers are often held back for several years and come out rounder and more honeyed, which is not what most people expect from a wine this fresh in its youth.
