One of the most exciting things about my professional life this year has been the opportunity to interact with Luca D’Attoma, one of Italy’s genuine “rock star” winemakers.

Luca first began making a name for himself and his work about 20 years ago when he began to land some astronomical scores from the top Italian wine writers.

I first met him in Bolgheri in 2008 when he was making wine for my friend Cinzia Merli of Le Macchiole. Their partnership helped to launch her brand into the stratosphere. Today, the average U.S. retail price for her 100 percent Merlot, Messorio, is around $250… if you can find it.

Tua Rita and Fattoria Le Pupille are just two of the iconic estates for whom he has made wine.

So, it was with some degree of surprise that I agreed to meet Luca at the stand of his Val d’Aosta client, Rosset, at Vinitaly this year.

Luca D’Attoma, the rugby player turned enologist, of Super Tuscan fame, in the Italian Alps? I thought to myself as I scratched my head.

I loved the wines, their focus, and the electric energy that seems to be the red thread in Luca’s work. The Nebbiolo was a stand-out, as was the Moscato. Super wines.

Next we tasted Luca’s personal project, Duemani, the Tuscan coastal estate he and his business partner recently sold to a major Italian winery group.

If the Alpine wines were electric, these wines were electrified!

Hyperbole aside, there is a vibrance to the fruit in Luca’s wines that makes them stand apart from the crowd. The Grenache by Duemani was outstanding, extremely fresh and lithe yet also rich and complex. The whole line up… these are wines meant for food. It was as if I could taste the cacciucco (a dish the Tuscan typically pair reds with).

Beyond the sale of his own winery, Luca has been in the news recently thanks to an interview by Gambero Rosso where he talked about his mixed feelings on Natural (with a capital N) wine.

On the one hand, he feels that the movement has become a marketing tool for lesser quality wines. But on the other, he spoke at length to the interviewer (my friend Lorenzo Ruggeri) about how Natural wine has impacted the greater world of wine in extremely positive ways.

Luca began as a conventional farmer. Today, he works exclusively with biodynamic growers, for example.

I know this to be the case because Luca and I share a client, Nizza producer Amistà.

That’s Luca (below, second from left), with Amistà owner Michele Marsiaj (far left), Michele’s son Iacopo, and me (far right).

I couldn’t be more thrilled to be working on such an exciting project. And getting to interact with Luca has been the icing on the cake.

Hopefully, I’ll be accompanying Luca to NYC in early 2024 for some special tastings. I can’t wait!