La Fralluca

With the La Fralluca winery, Luca Recine and Francesca Bellini have realised their dream of making quality wine in the Maremma area. It all began in 2005, when the first vine shoots were planted in the municipality of Suvereto. Luca and Francesca chose this area because they fell in love with the enchanting landscape, with its kilometres of uncontaminated woods and Mediterranean bush. The husband and wife were advised by the great enologist Federico Curtaz, who still supports them in the management of the winery.

The La Fralluca vineyard extends inland for 10 hectares at an altitude of about 120 metres and is protected from the sea by a belt of hills. In this area, the medium-textured soils are particularly stony, mineral and calcareous. To ensure the highest quality grapes while respecting the natural balance, Luca and Francesca have focused on low yields and high density per hectare. The varieties grown are the indigenous Sangiovese and Vermentino, as well as the international Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Viognier and Alicante Bouschet. Sangiovese, Vermentino and Alicante are grown using the double spurred cordon system, while the Syrah, Cabernet Franc and Viognier varieties are grown using the Guyot system. Although the vineyard is a single body, it is spread over three neighbouring hills that stretch in a row from north to south, with different slopes and exposures. The philosophy behind the production of La Fralluca is to respect the surrounding nature without making any compromises. For this reason, sustainability has been chosen, adopting organic and natural practices. Most of the operations in the vineyard are carried out by hand, chemical weed-killers are avoided and natural products are used for the phytosanitary treatments of the vines, reducing the use of copper to a minimum.

The cellar is almost entirely underground, ensuring a naturally humid and temperate environment. Outside there is a canopy that houses the first stages of the production process, such as destemming, crushing and pressing of the grapes. During the vinification phase, La Fralluca tries to preserve the character of the grapes, respecting three fundamental principles: cleanliness, precision and timeliness. The vinifications are carried out separately not only for each type of grape, but also for each individual vineyard and clone. A very long ageing period on the fine lees is carried out in steel for the white wines, while the red wines are aged in wood. The wines of La Fralluca have a distinctive mineral note and fresh acidity in common, and are remarkable for their precision and territorial identity.