Colli Lanuvini

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The volcanic activity of the Vulcano Laziale, which began approximately 600,000 years ago, generated the geological formations of the Colli Albani, with a central edifice rising to over 2,000 metres before collapsing.
• The soils include pozzolana, locally known as terrinelle — uncemented volcanic ash deposits that give rise to sandy, deep, free-draining soils with no waterlogging.
• Lithoid tuffs, of varying hardness and known locally as cappellacci, cappellacci teneri, occhio di pesce, and occhio di pernice, cover the greater part of the delimited territory.
• The altitude of the vineyards ranges from 64 to 435 metres above sea level, with a general aspect oriented toward the west and south-west.
• The climate of the area is characterised by mean annual rainfall of between 822 and 1,110 mm and a mean temperature of between 13.7 and 15.2 °C, with low-intensity cold from November through April.

• The Statutes of Genzano of 1565 and those of Civita Lavinia (Lanuvio) of 1567 contained chapters regulating the cultivation of the vine and the production of wine.
• The grape varieties traditionally cultivated for white wine production are Malvasia di Candia, Malvasia del Lazio, and Trebbiano — in its toscano, verde, and giallo biotypes — while Merlot, Montepulciano, and Sangiovese are used for the reds.

• Colli Lanuvini rosso Riserva displays a ruby-red colour of varying intensity with garnet and violet highlights, and an intense nose with fruity notes of berries and stone fruit, floral hints of violet, shading toward spicy or phenolic notes associated with wood.
• Colli Lanuvini bianco presents a straw-yellow colour of varying intensity; the production specification describes an intense nose with floral and fruity notes and a dry or medium-sweet palate.

• The combination of soil characteristics and climatic factors leads, in the white wines, to the production of significant quantities of aromatic precursors that enhance the typical organoleptic characteristics of the grape varieties.
• For the red wines, the interplay of soil and climate allows for optimal phenolic ripeness which, combined with a good sugar-to-acid balance, yields wines of high structure and harmony between their components.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

All appellations in Italy

Sources

• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-IT-A0704