The signature dry white wine of the Lake Garda region, made from the Turbiana grape. Flavours of almonds, jasmine flower and a sweet hint of peach compote

As featured in Forbes: “It opens in the mouth as widely and generously as a Pinot Gris or a Sauvignon Gris and includes balanced acidity and flavors of pear and grapefruit with a little honey and sesame.” Tom Mullen, Forbes 31.10.2021 

This wine looks like gold in the glass and offers very concentrated aromas thanks to the winemaking technique. After crushing the grapes, the winemaker keeps the juice in contact with the skins for the whole day, therefore extracting much more flavour and colour than usual. One-sixths of the crushed grape skins is then fermented in French oak barrels, and is added back to the wine at the end of the fermentation process, creating a complex, enchanting taste.

The Le Morette winery is owned by the famous Zenato family, and its wines are especially recommended by Ian D’Agata in his encyclopaedia “Native wine grapes of Italy“. The winery is located just 1 km away from Lake Garda, just behind the small town of Peschiera del Garda stretched along the riviera. Fabio Zenato, the owner and the winemaker, produces his award-winning wines from Turbiana – the clone of the Trebbiano di Soave grape native to Lake Garda.

Winemaking

The Turbiana grapes are harvested by hand in the second half of October. After crushing, the grape juice is kept in contact with skins for one day, to extract more flavour and colour. The grape juice then undergoes fermentation in stainless steel tanks, while 15% of the grape must is put into large French oak tonneaux for fermentation. The fermentation continues for ten days at a controlled temperature at as low as 16°C. After the fermentation is finished, the two parts of the wine are blended together and aged for three month “sur lie” with stirring, in large French oak tonneaux. The wine then undergoes malolactic fermentation to soften the malic acid. Finally, the wine is left undisturbed for six months in the same oak barrels, where it develops its mesmerising golden hue.

Tasting notes

In the glass, Le Morette Benedictus has a medium gold colour. It offers flavours of almond, apricot stone, jasmine flower, and yellow apple, along with sweet hints of peach compote and custard pie. Despite the perceived sweetness, Benedictus is a perfectly dry wine with only 0.36% residual sugar. The wine has medium alcohol, a medium body, and leaves a long and pleasant aftertaste of almonds and honey.

Awards

Gambero Rosso – Three Glasses 2022 (2019 vintage) | James Suckling – 91 points (2019 vintage) | The WineHunter – Rosso (2018 vintage) | Wine Enthusiast – 92 points (2018 vintage) | Gambero Rosso – Two Glasses (2018 vintage) | Vini Buoni d’Italia – 4 stars (2018 vintage) | I Vini Di Veronelli – 3 stars (2017 vintage)