Tommasi launches its Le Fornaci Lugana Riserva, the maximum expression of wine from Lake Garda

The 2018 Riserva, a perfect combination between grape variety and terroir, completes the Le Fornaci project promoted by the Tommasi family in honor of one of Italy’s top-quality wine zones: Lake Garda

From the very heart of the Lugana denomination – and the vines of the Tommasi family’s Le Fornaci estate at Sirmione near Lake Garda – comes the 2018 Le Fornaci Lugana D.O.C. Riserva, the maximum expression of the Turbiana variety and a flagship for a wine region that is one of finest in our country.

After the 2020 Lugana D.O.C. and  2020 Le Fornaci Rosé, the Le Fornaci project is completed by another great new wine: the 2018 Riserva, an exclusive and complex white wine that reveals the more “lacustrine” and mineral style of Lugana.

«The 2018 Riserva is an elegant yet intense Lugana, which encapsulates the delicate, fresh aromas of Lake Garda: a white that is destined to represent the top quality level of our production and which will be made only in the finest vintages» comments Piergiorgio Tommasi, Sales Director of Tommasi Family Estates. «The Riserva is also a historic wine, capable of expressing the qualities of a unique terroir that our family – for several generations now – has worked hard to highlight: this wine in fact represents the top-of-the-range product of our Le Fornaci project, which we have promoted in the last few years in order to pay homage to the wonderful natural environment of a wine region that is one of the best in Italy, that of Lake Garda. We hope that through this wine, which represents for us a perfect combination between the grape variety and the terroir, all wine lovers may enjoy, together with us, the wonders, scents and flavors of this magnificent area of our country».

Le Fornaci Lugana Doc Riserva 2018 is a substantial white, produced entirely from Turbiana grapes, which matures partly in wood, thanks to which it acquires greater structure and complexity.

A pale yellow in color, with brilliant golden highlights, this Riserva displays a rich bouquet that harmoniously combines fresh, mineral notes with those of ripe yellow fruits. Its concentrated aroma also includes floral and citrusy hints as well as delicate honeyed tones, and it has an elegant aftertaste of vanilla and walnuts. The wine is broad in the mouth, with fresh tangy notes on the end palate. It has a long, intriguing, mouth-filling finish, with crisp acidity and well-balanced structure.

The 2018 Lugana Riserva is a top-quality wine that enhances the typical cuisine of Lake Garda, combining perfectly with freshwater fish, pasta dishes and moderately mature cheeses, but also with meat-based main courses.

The 2018 vintage

Summary: a complicated vintage that however translated into absolutely one of the very best for Lugana.

Harvest: it was possible to obtain excellent ripening thanks to intense work in the vineyards.

Climatological considerations: the winter and spring were very rainy, with a hot summer and particularly dry August; from early September onwards, there were ideal thermal excursions for completing the ripening process.

Agronomic considerations: a good harvest took place on the loamy, sandy soils, which are conducive to developing a larger quantity of aromatic precursors in the grapes.

Vinification and maturation

After manual harvesting and the selection of the finest clusters, a delicate, soft pressing of the whole bunches takes place. Our vinification protocol is very strict: fermentation of 25% of the must in 500-hectoliter French oak barrels and 75% in stainless steel; both wines mature for 18 months, followed by blending of the two, bottling, and 6 months’ bottle-aging.

Le Fornaci Lugana Riserva in figures:

3,327 bottles produced; 1,000 destined for the Italian market.