From the atlas
Fattoria Mani di Luna
A Torgiano estate formed by three friends, with Grechetto and Sangiovese wines, organic and biodynamic farming, and indigenous yeast fermentation.
At A Glance
| Field | Detail |
| Place | Torgiano, Umbria |
| White wine | Ametistas, Grechetto |
| Red wines | Sanjolais and La Cupa, Sangiovese |
| Farming | Organic and biodynamic vineyard management |
| Cellar | Indigenous yeasts, fine lees and racking before bottling |
The Producer
Fattoria Mani di Luna is an estate of 35 hectares in Torgiano, Umbria, formed by three friends, Simone, Rocco and Alessandro. The named wines divide into Ametistas, the Grechetto white, and the Sangiovese reds Sanjolais and La Cupa. Vineyard work is manual, and indigenous yeasts guide fermentation in the cellar.
Place
Two landscapes meet inside Fattoria Mani di Luna's Torgiano holding. One area lies near the confluence of the Chiascio and Tiber rivers, while the other is in the hills. The estate has two distinct vineyard settings.
Soil And Site
Torgiano's ground here is sandy and full of minerals, with sediment left by ancient Lake Tiberinum. The hill land sits between 200 and 400 metres above sea level. The estate's Grechetto and Sangiovese wines are made within this physical setting.
Story
The Lungarotti family passed the land to Maria Lungarotti's son, Mario Cascianelli, in the 1970s. Simone, Rocco and Alessandro later set out to revive the estate through organic and biodynamic methods. The vineyards had been managed organically since 2008; biodynamic management began in 2012, when the three friends formally became a winery. The estate now makes Ametistas from Grechetto and Sanjolais and La Cupa from Sangiovese.
Vineyards And Cellar
Pruning and every crop operation are performed manually. At harvest, grapes are picked by hand into 15 kilogram crates and carefully sorted in the vineyard. Most grapes are destemmed by hand before being crushed by foot. Manual destemming is softer than machine work, and foot crushing encourages spontaneous fermentation.
The cellar uses indigenous yeasts from the grape skins through a pied de cuve, a starter that helps guide fermentation. All the wines spend the winter on their own fine lees. Fine lees are spent yeast cells; weekly bâtonnage keeps them in suspension, increasing stability and richness.
Racking clarifies the wine before bottling, so fining and filtration are normally omitted. Only small doses of sulphites are added, with no other oenological chemicals. The principal vessels are glass lined concrete and stainless steel, and small terracotta vessels are also being trialled.
Wines
The three named wines divide by colour and grape. Ametistas is the white, made from Grechetto and using both whole cluster pressing and skin maceration before fine lees ageing. Sanjolais and La Cupa are the reds, both 100% Sangiovese. Sanjolais occupies the delicate, fresh side of the red range, while La Cupa is the more intense red. The bottles place one white wine beside two single grape reds.
In The Glass
Ametistas opens with candied orange preserve, mango and passion fruit, followed by dried flowers, ginger, sage, honey and beeswax. The palate is mineral, with a lingering finish and capacity for long ageing.
Sanjolais is pale ruby, with currant, raspberry, wild strawberry and light herbal notes. It is delicate, soft and fresh, with a fruit juice feel and high drinkability.
La Cupa brings cherry, forest fruit, currant, violet, liquorice, earth, clove, pipe tobacco and a balsamic finish. Its palate is intense and persistent, with high acidity and a substantial palate.
A Bottle To Understand It
Ametistas is the bottle to open first. It is 100% Grechetto and the white among the three named wines. Half the fruit is whole cluster pressed, while the other half spends 3 to 5 days on skins. The wine ages on fine lees in steel or concrete for 10 to 18 months, then remains in bottle for six months. Its palate is rounded, with added weight from lees ageing. The bottle puts 100% Grechetto, skin contact and lees ageing in the same wine.
Anecdote
In 2010, Simone, Rocco and Alessandro came together to produce their first experimental wine on seven hectares in Torgiano. Alessandro and Rocco had played in a band together for years, while Rocco and Simone had studied agronomy in Perugia. Alessandro and Rocco still play together. The first wine brought those two friendships together around grapes from Torgiano. The three friends made it before the winery existed formally.
Final Word
Fattoria Mani di Luna is a Torgiano estate where Grechetto and Sangiovese share one property. Ametistas takes the white grape through skin contact and lees ageing; Sanjolais and La Cupa present two red Sangiovese styles.
Sources
- https://www.fattoriamanidiluna.com/en/the-farm/
- https://www.fattoriamanidiluna.com/en/vineyards/
- https://www.fattoriamanidiluna.com/en/winemaking/
- https://mucci.wine/vineyards-vino/fattoria-mani-di-luna/
- https://www.fattoriamanidiluna.com/it/vini/