LVNAE Etichetta Nera – an authentic Ligurian Vermentino
Cantine Lvnae Bosoni is a winery in eastern Liguria. It’s near the port of La Spezia, close to the Tuscan border. Meanwhile, Vermentino is a semi-aromatic white grape variety that thrives in heat (and heat spikes), is resistant to drought and doesn’t drop its acidity. It’s found right around the western Mediterranean coastline of France and Italy, as well as on all their main islands. It has many biotypes and synonyms besides Vermentino (the French, for example, call it Rolle).
Vermentino
Vermentino is rightfully enjoying renewed popularity. This is partly because its physiology makes it ideal for adapting to a rapidly warming climate, with annual extremes of heat now becoming commonplace. It’s also partly because of its versatility in winemaking and consumption. It can produce excellent wines in several styles (still, sparkling, and sweet), whether using wood or not, and can even vary in aroma and flavour according to when it is harvested. Moreover, it can be drunk with and without food, as a young, fresh wine or as an older wine with bottle ageing.
Indeed, if there is a leading candidate for a new “international variety” for worldwide adoption in the 21st Century, it’s Vermentino. In Italy alone, sales by value increased 11% annually between 2018 and 2024, making it the fastest-growing white grape variety.1
The classic areas for Vermentino in Italy are in Liguria (all the way along the coast) and in Sardinia. Still, there has also been spectacular recent growth in Tuscany and Sicily, and you’ll find it in other regions, from Piemonte to Puglia. While coastal locations seem to be particularly auspicious (Vermentino tolerates wind and salt well), each of these regions has distinct terroirs, and thus there are numerous DOCs and IGTs.
One of the finest is the Colli di Luni DOC in Liguria. Indeed, this DOC occupies the coastal hills of both Eastern Liguria and Northern Tuscany, making it one of the rare cross-region Italian DOCs. However, the majority of the territory is in the Ligurian region.
Colli Di Luni DOC
The Etruscans made wine here long ago, but what once made this area world famous is Carrara marble, and Luni was the Roman Port that shipped it all over the Empire.
The DOC was established in 1989, now covering just 162 hectares, occupying the terraced hills on either side of the River Magra Valley. While small, this territory benefits from cooling onshore breezes from the Mediterranean and is protected from the north by the mountainous Apuan Alps. As for soils, the area is split into three different sections. The low flat land closest to the sea has light, sandy soils, while the foothills consist of alluvial stones. The highest land contains an abundance of fossils, mudstones and shale.
Vermentino is native to this region, and it sometimes blends with Albarola, Malvasia, and/or Trebbiano Toscano to create a Bianco. However, to be classified as a Vermentino in the DOC, the wine must contain a minimum of 90% Vermentino (or 100% for the Superiore, which also requires two years of ageing).
Cantine Bosoni Lvnae
The Bosoni family owns and runs Cantine Lvnae, founded by Paul Bosoni in the 1960s with just 3 hectares. It’s named after the Roman colony called Luna, which later became the town of Luni. The estate is in the heart of the DOC, with 80 hectares of vineyards. 70% is for Vermentino, but Lvnae also specialise in other rare autochthonous grape varieties. The vines average 25 years of age, though some are over 50 years old.
There are also new plantings, for example, the restoration of ancient terraces resulted in a new Vermentino vineyard at 500 metres altitude. The vineyards comprise 40 small plots, each measuring no more than two to three hectares. Hence, the vineyards have varying soil types, altitudes, and aspects. They are accompanied by natural Mediterranean scrub (Macchia) and Olive groves.
Fantiscritti Carrara Marble Quarry – Lvnae hosts a sunset wine tasting here!
Some 30% is now Organic. This figure is increasing, with no use of pesticides or herbicides at all. Since 2023, all the wines have been made in the new grass-covered eco-winery. This features solar power, geothermal regulation and wastewater collection among its sustainability credentials.
Meanwhile, Ca’Lvnae is nearby, a renovated eighteenth-century farmhouse that celebrates wine, food, and art with a new restaurant and museum. Alternatively, if you fancy a spectacular wine tasting at sunset in a Carrara marble quarry, then Lvnae can also offer that. Hospitality and tourism are vital ingredients in the business proposition, as is community involvement.
The Wines
There are fourteen different wines in the Lvnae range: in white, rosé, red, sparkling, dry and sweet. As for Vermentino, alongside their Vermentino/Malvasia blend (La Bianca), there are five pure expressions of Vermentino. Etichetta Grigia is a young, fresh wine. Numero Chiuso is a Cru from only the best years, featuring long wood and bottle ageing. Cavagino is a single-vineyard cru with partial fermentation in barriques, while Nektar is their sweet passito.
However, Etichetta Nera (Black Label) is their icon, first made in 1992. So, without any more ado, I have it here for you.
Etichetta Nera, Vermentino, Colli di Luni DOC, Liguria, Italy. 2024. 13%
LVNAE Etichetta Nera
Technical
The wine is made from a rigorous selection of 100% Vermentino grapes from the Bosoni vineyards in Luni and Castelnuovo Magra. 2024 was cooler here than 2023 due to the microclimate, and the hand-harvest took place in early September. At the winery, after a short cold maceration on the skins for approximately eight hours, fermentation took place in stainless steel tanks. Ageing was then on the fine lees in steel for four months, before bottling under a DIAM 5 cork. Release was in April 2025.
Tasting
The wine pours as a pale gold and is highly aromatic, with notes of citrus fruits and hints of acacia and macchia. On the palate, there’s a vibrancy and intensity that harmonises with the fruit and alcohol. Perhaps with a little more restraint in this cooler year, there’s an attractive musky quality to the apricot and peach fruit, carried by balanced alcohol. The fresh acidity shows as a flinty minerality that segues into a persistent saline finish. A final almond-like farewell completes the package. There’s no wood to intrude on the varietal character, and so there’s an authentic terroir and varietal expression.
What a great ambassador for Ligurian wines! It makes you want to explore the rest of the Lunea range and make a visit.
This elegant wine is lovely now, but I suspect it will continue to improve over the next four to five years. I’m keeping another bottle back to see if I’m right, and I’ll let you know.
UK Availability
Armit Wines £29.46. Vinvm, £25.95
Food
Versatility is Vementino’s calling card. It’s enjoyable as an aperitivo, but for me, it comes alive with a wide range of food. Fish is the obvious candidate, from simple fried anchovies to baked Sea Bass and Bream. This particular wine paired perfectly with crab arancini and served as a great complement to young, fresh cheeses. As the picture shows, this bottle accompanied Burrata, with a Mediterranean green salad and a Nasturtium flower garnish.
Burrata with Nasturtium
And Finally
Liguria is a small region and ranks 18th out of 20 in Italy’s wine production league table, with 88,000 hectoliters of wine in 20222. Hence, it’s less well known for its wines and has fewer wines for export markets.
However, over a quarter of its production is Vermentino, and top producers, such as Lvnae in Colli di Luni, craft outstanding examples. If you haven’t yet discovered authentic Ligurian Vermentino, Etichetta Nera is the ideal place to start. And if you have, you’ll know what I’m on about.
After all, this wine is a Gambero Rosso Tre Biccheri award winner.
Location
Cantine Lvnae Bosoni
Via Palvotristia, 2
19030, Castelnuovo Magra
La Spezia
Liguria
Italy
What3words Location
Notes
- Vermentino sales statistics source: Inumeridelvino
- Source: ISTAT, April 2024. That’s less than 1% of the Veneto production!