BELLONE

Bellone is the wine through which Cantine Lulli makes its most historically resonant statement — a white from an ancient vine whose cultivation in the Roman Empire has been documented since antiquity, where such grapes were added to enrich wines produced throughout that empire's vast territory. To drink Bellone from the Lazio hills where it has always grown is to participate in a winemaking tradition of genuine Roman lineage.

The production process reflects the estate's understanding of what this precious grape requires: grapes are handpicked and selected only when at their peak of maturation — a timing decision that is the first determinant of quality in a white wine of this character. After selection, the grapes are processed by separating must and skins, leaving the latter to a slower maceration process. Extremely soft pressing grants full respect to the original characteristics of the grape, and fermentation at controlled low temperature ensures the highest standards of quality.

The result is a wine whose perfumes are intense and extremely charming — a favourite among women sommeliers, in the estate's observation, which speaks to a particular quality of delicacy and aromatic elegance. Essences of orange blossom, jasmine, and salty winds make a complex bouquet of unparalleled charm — the aromatic profile of the Lazio hills and the specific character of the Bellone grape combined into something genuinely distinctive.

Good acidity, gentle minerality, and an extremely pleasant and persistent sapidity on the palate complete the picture of a wine of quiet distinction — not showy, but possessed of the particular quality that comes from centuries of adaptation between a vine and its specific territory. The orange blossom and jasmine of the nose translate into a palate of freshness, mineral definition, and the savoury quality characteristic of great indigenous white varieties.

Available through UniqueWines. Since 1905.