PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
Ca' dei Frati's own words say it best: "Il Lugana DOC è il nostro orgoglio, il vino che ha fatto conoscere e continua ad essere l'immagine dell'azienda" — Lugana DOC is our pride, the wine that first made us known and continues to be the image of the company. Often labeled simply "I Frati" — a direct echo of the estate's own name, "House of the Friars" — this is the wine that built Ca' dei Frati's reputation as the finest producer working Lake Garda's southern shore, long before the estate's premium single-vineyard Brolettino existed. It remains the estate's most representative bottle, and the one most people mean when they simply say "Ca' dei Frati."
The Dal Cero family has farmed this land since 1939, when patriarch Felice Dal Cero settled in Sirmione with just four hectares. The family has since grown the estate to 200 hectares — roughly 10% of all Lugana DOC production — while remaining entirely family-run and committed to organic farming across every plot. This Lugana is made entirely from Turbiana, grown on limestone and clay soils, trained using both simple and double Guyot systems, in a climate that runs generally warm and temperate but is meaningfully moderated by the constant breeze and cooling proximity of Lake Garda — ideal, gentle conditions for healthy, balanced grape ripening.
Production stays deliberately restrained: the wine ferments and rests on its fine lees in stainless steel for a minimum of six months, with malolactic fermentation avoided entirely to preserve genuine freshness and lift, followed by a further two months of bottle aging before release. No oak touches this wine at any stage — a direct contrast to Brolettino's barrique-driven richness, and exactly the point: this is Lugana in its purest, most transparent form. The official tasting profile describes a straw-yellow wine with pleasant floral aromas of white flowers, joined by fruity notes of apple, plum, and citrus, developing on the palate into something fresh, linear, and genuinely sophisticated, with delicate hints of white balsamic flowers, traces of apricot, and almond. A recent vintage of this exact wine earned 91 points from Wine Enthusiast — solid confirmation that Ca' dei Frati's "everyday" Lugana still carries real seriousness behind its accessible price.
Ca' dei Frati — "House of the Friars" — carries documented history on this exact property back to 1782, referencing "a house with a cellar located in Lugana in the Sermione area known as the place of the friars," a nod to the Carmelite monks who once tended vines here. The modern estate began in 1939, when patriarch Felice Dal Cero settled in Sirmione with just four hectares. The family has since grown the property to 200 hectares — about 10 percent of all DOC Lugana production — while remaining entirely family-owned and operated.
This Lugana DOC, commonly labeled "I Frati," is made entirely from Turbiana, farmed organically on soils of limestone and clay, trained with simple and double Guyot systems. Lake Garda's proximity provides a constant, moderating breeze that keeps the vineyards well-ventilated through the region's generally warm, temperate climate — ideal conditions for healthy grape development. Following harvest, the wine ferments and ages on its fine lees in stainless steel tanks for a minimum of six months; malolactic fermentation is deliberately avoided to preserve the wine's natural freshness. A further two months of bottle aging follows before release. No oak is used at any stage of production.
No numerical critic score is confirmed for the 2025 vintage specifically at this time. A recent vintage of this exact wine was awarded:
Wine Enthusiast — 91 Points
The Wine Distribution Co. (official tasting note):
"Color: Straw yellow. Nose: Pleasant floral aromas of white flowers and fruity notes of apple, plum and citrus. Palate: Fresh, linear and furnished with great sophistication and elegance with delicate hints of white balsamic flowers, traces of apricot and almond."
Ca' dei Frati (official, translated):
"Lugana DOC is our pride, the wine that made us known and continues to be the image of the company."
Nose
Straw yellow in color. Pleasant floral aromas of white flowers open, joined by fruity notes of apple, plum, and citrus.
Palate
Fresh, linear, and genuinely sophisticated, with real elegance. Delicate hints of white balsamic flowers add lift, alongside traces of apricot and almond that round out the wine's fruit character.
Finish
Clean and precise, with the wine's natural, unoaked freshness carrying through to a crisp, food-ready close — a direct expression of Lake Garda's moderating climate and the estate's organic farming.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Appellation | Lugana DOC — Lombardy, Italy |
| Variety | 100% Turbiana |
| Vintage | 2025 |
| Producer | Ca' dei Frati — Sirmione, southern shore of Lake Garda |
| Family | Dal Cero family — since 1939 (property documented since 1782) |
| Farming | Organic |
| Soils | Limestone and clay |
| Training | Simple and double Guyot |
| Fermentation | Stainless steel, fine lees, minimum 6 months; no malolactic |
| Bottle Aging | 2 months before release |
| Oak | None |
| ABV | 13% |
| Estate Size | 200 hectares — ~10% of all DOC Lugana production |
| Critics | Wine Enthusiast 91 Points (recent vintage) |
| Style / Identity | The estate's flagship, most representative wine — pure, unoaked, terroir-transparent Lugana |
| Aromas & Flavors | White flowers, apple, plum, citrus, apricot, almond, white balsamic flowers |
| Bottle Size | 750ml |
Bottle Size: All bottles are 750ML/700ML unless otherwise noted.
21 and Over: Adult Signature Required
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