Why it matters
The producer
The Lunelli family became one of Italy's most recognised sparkling-wine names through Ferrari Trento, the Trentino house Bruno Lunelli acquired in 1952 from its founder, Giulio Ferrari, fifty years after Ferrari first planted vines there. Tenute Lunelli is what the family built alongside that reputation: a still-wine portfolio across three Italian regions, each estate farmed organically and each making wine from a different soil type, climate, and grape tradition.
Tenuta Margon is the home estate, sitting on rocky slopes in the hills above Trento. The land connects directly to the Lunelli family's sparkling-wine history: the Maso Margon vineyard on Mount Bondone supplies grapes for Ferrari Riserva Lunelli, a Trentodoc. Tenuta Castelbuono, bought in 2001, farms 30 hectares of Sagrantino and Sangiovese in Montefalco and Bevagna in Umbria. Tenuta Podernovo produces red wine in Tuscany. Matteo Lunelli serves as CEO of Gruppo Lunelli; Marcello Lunelli is president.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
The three estates occupy three distinct Italian landscapes, and each one shapes a different kind of wine.
Tenuta Margon stands on steep slopes surrounding the city of Trento in Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy's northernmost wine region. Altitude rules here: the vineyards run from 350 to 600 metres above sea level, where cool nights during the growing season slow ripening and preserve acidity in the grapes. The soils are mainly sandy with a high concentration of rocks, which drain quickly and push roots deep. These conditions favour Chardonnay and the aromatic mountain whites that Trentino produces best, though the estate also grows varieties for its still range.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
At Tenuta Margon, the vineyards are trained using two systems: the traditional one-armed Trentino pergola, which spreads the canopy horizontally and has been the standard training method in this region for generations, and the Guyot system, which is more common in Burgundy and produces a more vertical canopy with greater sun exposure. Vine density runs between 4,000 and 4,500 plants per hectare. The combination of systems within a single estate suggests different parcels are managed differently based on slope and exposure.
At Tenuta Castelbuono, the élevage for Ziggurat separates the varieties by oak vessel. Sangiovese and Sagrantino go into tonneaux and large casks, which allow slow, gentle oxygenation without imposing heavy new-oak character on grapes that already carry significant tannin. Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon spend time in barriques, where the smaller vessel and greater wood contact add more texture and spice. All components age for 12 months in wood, then spend a further six months or more in bottle before release.
Wines to know
The range in view
The range divides cleanly by estate and by the wines each region supports.
Tenuta Margon produces still wines from the mountain slopes above Trento. The specific bottles in the current range were not fully documented in the available sources, but the estate's altitude and sandy, rocky soils favour crisp, acid-driven whites and lighter reds built for Alpine conditions.
A useful way in
A bottle to begin with
Start with Ziggurat Montefalco Rosso from Tenuta Castelbuono. It is the estate's central wine, the one that brings the Umbrian terroir, the Sagrantino grape, and the cellar approach together in a single bottle. The blend puts Sangiovese in the majority role, while the 15% Sagrantino contributes tannin. Twelve months in tonneaux and large casks, followed by six months further ageing, means the wine arrives with enough integration to drink within a few years of the vintage while carrying the capacity to improve further in the cellar.