Cantine Lunae Bosoni Etichetta Grigia Vermentino 2019
Winemaker Notes
The privileged position of the area offers a unique microclimate where the action of sea and mountain breezes, alternating between day and night, creates an optimal condition for growing vines and producing wines of excellence. Here the soil is of an alluvial/sandy nature in the valley, and leaner clay on the hills which supports varieties such as Vermentino with completely different taste profiles.
Cantine Lunae Bosoni is one of the star producers in the area, located between the Ligurian villages of Ortonovo and Castelnuova Magra on the border between Tuscany and Liguria. Owned by the Bosoni family for five generations, Paolo Bosoni took control of the family business from his father in 1966. The winery was named after the ancient Roman city called “Portus Lunae” (the Port of the Moon), one of the most important cities and ports in the Northern part of the ancient Roman Empire and wants to recall the millenary tradition of winemaking in this area (Roman ruins are still intact just a few miles from the winery).
Lunae currently represents the largest winery in Liguria with an annual total production of approximately 780,000 bottles. The Bosonis control 85 hectares of vineyards in prized locations (both on the hillside and on the plain), of which 50ha are family-owned, 15ha are long-term leases and the remaining 20ha are owned by local growers who, supported by the company’s technical staff, contribute their small grape production, keeping alive traditions and the unique quality of the wine.
Forming a crescent along Italy’s northwestern Mediterranean coast, Liguria is one of the country’s smallest regions. Though its ports, Genoa and Savona have welcomed foreign influence for centuries, the region today is experiencing a fresh interest in its own indigenous varieties. Liguria commits large efforts to the white Vermentino (also called Pigato) and the red varieties Rossese, Sangiovese and Dolcetto (also called Ormeasco in Liguria).
Liguria has no shortage of dizzyingly steep, coastal vineyards. On its eastern end in Cinqueterre, Vermentino grows along cliffs overlooking the Mediterranean. On its west, bordering France, terraced, seaside vineyards are home to Rossese di Dolceacqua, Liguria’s powerful yet highly aromatic red.
A fantastic, aromatic white grape that grows with great success in Sardinia, Tuscany and in lesser proportions on the island of Corsica. Somm Secret—Vermentino is thought to be genetically identical to Liguria’s Pigato grape and Peidmont’s Favorita. It comprises a large proportion of the whites in southern France where it is called Rolle.