Montonale: Montunal Lugana 2024

At the beginning of the 20th century, Francesco Girelli managed two hectares of land here in the village of Conta. He planted the grape varieties Turbiana di Lugana, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. It is said that the bouquet of the Lugana must was so intense that it attracted the neighborhood. His son Aldo followed in his father's footsteps and acquired six hectares of vineyards planted with Turbiana, Barbera, and Marzemino.

As a former ambassador of the region, he supplied customers throughout the Alpine area and made the name Lugana known. After him, Luciano benefited from the experiences of his ancestors and acquired another 60 hectares of vineyards, some of which had been planted with the Turbiana grape variety by the noble Bertani family. However, inheritance divisions shattered his dream of being a winemaker. The vineyards were almost completely cleared, and the last, sad harvest took place in 1998.

Everything seemed lost when a great-uncle left Luciano two hectares of vineyard two years later. At that time, the second son Roberto asked Luciano to revive the oenological tradition of the Girelli family.

Since his youth, Roberto Girelli, together with his brothers Claudio and Valentino, has breathed in the scent of the wine cellar. In 2002, at the age of twenty, he was responsible for his first grape harvest. The following year, he presented 800 bottles under the Girelli brand and enrolled at the Faculty of Viticulture and Oenology at the University of Verona. The first Lugana appeared with the 2004 vintage, and in 2005 the family planted another five hectares of vineyard with Turbiana and other red grape varieties. Since 2010, the estate has borne the name of the village where it is based: Montonale. In 2012, the new wine cellar was completed, and Roberto was able to begin exploring the potential of the terroir.