The Ottaviano Lambruschi winery started to take shape in the early 1970s, when in a historic moment of agricultural abandonment for Italy (it was the Industrial Revolution, after all!) Ottaviano Lambruschi decided to leave his stable job in the marble quarries of Carrara to return to the vineyards. He bought his first hectare of vines in Costa Marina with his liquidation money and bottled his first Vermentino in 1982. Ottaviano is now 93 years old, but the original parcel of vines is now indispensable to the company’s production of Vermentino Colli di Luni perched just above the town of Castelnuovo Magro with an impressive view of the sea. Ottaviano’s son Fabio came on board in 1985 after studying agriculture and runs the 12-hectare property today with the help of his daughter, Ylenia. The Lambruschi’s make bone dry, lithe expressions of Vermentino that are hailed all over the region.

Colli di Luni is a unique microclimate wedged between the sea and the Alps in the long, thin coastal region of Liguria tucked between Tuscany and Piedmont. Constant breezes bless the hillsides and the mild climate ensures it a perfect place for the cultivation of Vermentino. Lambruschi owns 7 hectares in total operating predominantly in two primary vineyards, Costa Marina and Il Maggiore, which produce the estates crus. Costa Marina is a 2 ha vineyard perched at 220 meters above sea level along the backside of Castelnuovo Magra with a south/southeast exposition. It was planted in 1970 by Ottaviano and the terrain is filled with stones with gray and red clays, rich in minerals. At the top of the vineyard is a small reservoir which which provides irrigation in drought years and boosts the microclimate. The Il Maggiore vineyard is positioned on the hill in front of Costa Marina with the same exposition. It takes its name from its height, being the highest vineyard in the area. The soils here are stony with a lot of schist including a high iron presence along with other minerals.

Fabio and Ottaviano (when he’s up for the climb) work all of the vineyards by hand when possible and with as little chemicals as possible outside the realm of organics. That said, given the dimension of the estate they will intervene if necessary to protect the vines. Production 40 ql/ha (Maggiore), 50 ql/ha (Costa Marina). The vineyards are harvested in phases starting mid-September and generally concluding in the beginning of October.

All of the vineyards are processed separately in order to emphasize the different expressions of the terroir. The grapes are softly pressed upon arrival in the cellar, then all vinification and aging is carried out in stainless steel with rigorous temperature control in hopes of preserving as much of the aromas as possibile of the Vermentino. For a brief period, Fabio experimented with wood but quickly came to the conclusion in 1997 that it’s not a good fit for Vermentino from Colli di Luni, which “is best left dry.”