Mani Di Luna, 2021 "Il Baratto"

People

Mani di Luna was founded by three friends. Rocco, Simone, and Alessandro connected through playing music and studying farming, and decided to team up and revive an Azienda that had been around since the 1970s. Etruscans first made wine in the Torgiano area about 2,500 years ago, and it's rather enchanting to think of these friends reviving and continuing this truly ancient tradition. Mani di Luna is a producer dedicated to biodynamic viticulture and winemaking: they treat the vineyards as part of an ecological whole, treating them with the utmost care and respect, so that the land returns the favor with crazy good grapes.

Place

Mani di Luna farms 35 hectares of land, only 7.5 of which consist of vines, which are a field blend of several different varieties; this speaks to their love of biodynamic agriculture, as many different plants and animals occupy the space. Vines are planted in a series of terraces that rest at 250-250 meters above sea level, which is rich in sandstone and several other minerals. Although nobody is really quite sure how soil minerality makes its flavors present in wine, the mineral content of Mani di Luna’s soils are certainly present in this blend. Southwestern exposure of the hillside guarantees that the grapes get plenty of sun, which keeps their sugars high.

Palate

Concentrated fruit, displaying notes of green and stone fruit, with a lovely minerality. Due to the lees aging and lack of fining or filtration, this is a slightly fuller-bodied and textural white wine.

Technical Notes

40 year-old vines comprising 80% Trebbiano Toscana, 15% Malvasia, and a touch of Riesling and Grechetto Bianco. The whole clusters are crushed in a basket press, fermented with indigenous yeasts, and aged on fine lees for 6-7 months, with bâtonnage (lees-stirring) every now and then. Bottled without fining or filtration.