Description

“This is Luca D’Attoma and Elena Celli’s flagship wine. The 2013 Cabernet Franc Duemani is a proud achievement and represents one of the finest wines made so far by this prolific and studious team of vintners. The quality of fruit is succulent, crunchy and rich, but it also offers a deep sense of elegance and grace. Luca refers to it as a “dynamic” wine and it takes a while to understand what he means. It does, of course, represent the biodynamic growing philosophy (as do all of Luca’s wines), but extreme purity and precision really are its defining characteristics. It is dynamic because the fruit is allowed to express itself without filters or evident outside embellishments. This wine will age forward for 20 years.

I enjoyed an unforgettable visit with Luca D’Attoma and Elena Celli on what would turn out to be the last hot summer day of 2016. When we met, Luca took a disapproving glance at the substandard wheels attached to my Mini Cooper: “You’ll need to park that and drive up with me,” he determined. A short while later, I would find out why. Luca took me to his new property that is in the final stages of development. A long dirt road cuts through thick Mediterranean brush to arrive at a secret amphitheater of vines hidden among the lost hills above Riparbella on the Tuscan Coast. A previous owner had envisaged building a rural bed & breakfast at this location, but the difficulty of access and the remoteness of the place eventually forced a sale. Luca D’Attoma, one of Italy’s most precise and detail-minded winemakers, was in the market for a hardship vineyard acquisition. Rarely do you see a place that exudes such a deep and immediate sense of terroir. The thick brush at its perimeter, the luminous sunlight, the yellow soils, the unforgiving slope of the vineyard trellises and the density of the vines reflect an obsessive vineyard vision. This impression is further reinforced by a slew of tiny details that come into focus as you tour the property. Luca imported the same chestnut wood stakes used on Mount Etna in Sicily. Each one stands erect in independent fashion, thus following the ragged contours of the land in haphazard asymmetry. Red Tuscan clay vessels and white Trentino clay amphorae are used in the winery and Luca rejects any confusion between the two. In the tasting room, the wines transmit an unyielding sense of focus and meticulousness. You know the old adage about dogs and their owners who start to resemble each other? The same can be said of Luca D’Attoma and his secret Vineyard of Eden.” 97 points, Wine Advocate, Monica Larner