Wine writer Jessica Dupuy, who contributes to Food & Wine, Imbibe, GuildSomm, SevenFifty Daily, and Forbes, revisits her long-held skepticism of Super Tuscan blends in her Substack article, “Seeing Tenuta Luce in a Different Light,” recounting a recent visit to Tenuta Luce that changed how she understands the estate’s signature marriage of Sangiovese and Merlot.
Dupuy walks the property’s vineyards with winemaker Alessandro Marini, tracing how elevation and soil shape each variety’s role in the blend: Sangiovese drawing structure from the fractured galestro soils at 400 meters, Merlot gaining roundness from the heavier clays below. Tasting the 2023 Luce alongside the estate’s 2021 Brunello, she settles on an analogy that reframes the whole project for her. As Marini explains, “Sangiovese helps the blend to age better with time because it lifts the Merlot and it keeps the wine alive for many, many years.”
Dupuy leaves with a reversed premise. Rather than viewing Merlot as an addition meant to improve Sangiovese, she comes to see Sangiovese’s acidity and tannin as the element giving Merlot’s natural richness its definition and shape, a rethinking she credits directly to spending time in Tenuta Luce’s vineyards and cellar with Marini and estate president Lamberto Frescobaldi.
Check out the full piece HERE.
