Montaluce means “mountain of light” in Italian and could very well be a beacon of hope as well for the North Georgia wine industry.  Based on the passion and dream of Rob Beecham, the COO of Beecham Builders, Montaluce Winery & Estates is a growing Tuscan community in the mountains of North Georgia  (can you say “Ciao Bella!?”) with 2 year-old vineyards and state-of-the art winery. 

They just celebrated their inaugural release of three wines made mostly, if not entirely, from Lumpkin county fruit and, boy, was I impressed.  For those history buffs, Lumpkin was a hotbed for gold back in the early 1800’s, with the town of Dahlonega now quickly becoming a hot spot for tourists and weekend Atlantans alike.

Oliver Asberger and Ed

While tasting the wines, I had an opportunity to chat with winery and vineyard manager, Oliver Asberger, who is originally from Germany.  He told me that that he was a little concerned with the Sangiovese fruit that came in during the crush and, since he is focused on producing the highest quality wine he can, decided on creating a rosé instead of going for a full red.  It seems the production level of the grapes could stand to be reduced some in his opinion, which should, in my understanding, allow more energy and effort of the vines to be directed toward a lesser number of grape clusters in the form of more optimal levels of sugar, acid and flavor, thus increasing the quality of the fruit.  I think that key decision paid off:

The 2008 Montaluce “Risata” (Sangiovese Rosé) had a nice rich, dark rose hue that was bright and lead to a strawberry and light prune nose.  The taste was crisp and fresh, with cherries, cranberries and a little thyme noticeable on the palate.  This was our favorite wine of the release by far and is probably the best rosé we’ve had in the area.  A tip-of-the-cap to Oliver and his team for such a wise decision.  We loved it so much we grabbed a full glass after the tasting and hit the deck overlooking the main vineyard to take in the warm summer afternoon with breathtaking mountain views in the background.

The 2008 Montaluce Chardonnay had traditional aromas of granny smith apples and pears with just a hint of toast and honeysuckle.  There was lemon citrus and mineral on the palate, and not as crisp as the rosé, though I am sure it wasn’t meant to be.

I am told the Viognier grape variety grows really well in this region and Montaluce followed suit with it’s first homage to this Rhone varietal.  It’s perfume aroma was not as profound as I would expect from this grape, though apricot and peach could be detected.  On the palate, the wine is well-balanced with some orange peel (or tangerine?) and citrus.  This is still something you could take to a picnic or your patio in the summer as well and quaff on any afternoon.

Overall, a nice start to the business I would say and I look forward to many more wonderful juice from Rob and Oliver in the future.

(Please note that I am currently a property owner in this community and these opinions are my own.)