LAGREIN

The Lagrein is the flagship red of the Mezan Luis Estate — the most serious, most structured, and most long-lived red wine that the 5,000 individually tended vines of this artisanal Friulian estate produce. It is described as wild, one of a kind, with a strong and distinctive character — qualities that accurately capture what the Lagrein grape delivers when given the individual attention and the artisanal winemaking philosophy that the Luis Estate applies to each of its productions.

Lagrein is one of Alto Adige's and Trentino's most genuinely distinctive indigenous varieties — a grape of dark colour, high tannin, and complex aromatic profile that has been cultivated in the Italian north-east for centuries. Its name appears in historical records as early as the fourteenth century, and its specific character — the combination of dark fruit intensity, tannic depth, and the particular herbal-mineral dimension that the variety develops in the right conditions — has made it one of the most celebrated of the region's indigenous reds.

At the Luis Estate, the Lagrein receives one year of ageing in barriques — a period that makes the tannins rounder and this gritty wine more accessible without losing the wild and singular character that the variety's inherent nature provides. The flavour profile is one of the most complex in the estate's range: raspberry and liquorice alongside cherry, dark chocolate, and plum, each contributing to a bouquet of remarkable breadth and aromatic depth.

Due to its body, tannic structure, and acidity, the recommended combination is aged hard cheeses, meat and game dishes — the estate's own pairing advice, and one that reflects accurately the structural weight and aromatic complexity of a wine that demands food of equivalent substance. The Lagrein is the Luis Estate wine for the most serious occasions at the most serious tables.

Available through UniqueWines.