Trentodoc Giulio Ferrari and Ferrari Riserva Lunelli: a time travel in the “Family Archive”

“The defining characteristic of mountain sparkling wines is their longevity and their ability to defy time”. The first to realize this was Giulio Ferrari, when he rediscovered the bottles he had bricked up in his city palace in Trento to protect them during the long years of war: they proved capable of preserving their freshness while adding the complexity gained over time. The second to believe in it was Mauro Lunelli: convinced that great Riserve could also be made in Trentino, he began hiding a few bottles from his brothers in 1972, unearthing them only in 1980. Tasting them together with his brothers was decisive and led him, from that moment on, to create the Giulio Ferrari Riserva del Fondatore. The third chapter was added by the Lunelli cousins in 2002 with the creation of Ferrari Riserva Lunelli: inspired by the oak barrels visible in the background of a famous photograph taken by Wolfango Soldati (son of Mario Soldati) of Bruno with his sons Gino and Mauro Lunelli in the old Ferrari cellar, they produced a wood-fermented Metodo Classico sparkling wine. The aim was a more gastronomic idea of a Riserva, designed to emphasize the aromatic richness of mountain Chardonnay. The latest chapter was added in 2025 with the “Archivio di Famiglia” - “Family Archive” project, pushing aging even further and challenging the evolution of their Trentodoc wines toward unexplored boundaries. With recent disgorgements carried out specifically for this purpose, and even with dosages different from the original ones, Ferrari offers consumers and restaurateurs a unique choice in Italy and worldwide in terms of vintage, label type, and food pairings.
At Vinitaly 2026, held today in Verona, a masterclass dedicated to Giulio Ferrari and Ferrari Riserva Lunelli explored the success of all these insights, developed over a century rich in experimentation, great patience, and trust in time. Matteo Lunelli, ceo of Gruppo Lunelli, outlined the historical and corporate context of the seven labels tasted, Marcello Lunelli, president of Gruppo Lunelli, recalled the performance of the vintages being sampled, Cyril Brun, winemaker at Ferrari Trento, explained the investments and innovations introduced in the cellar since his arrival, and siblings Camilla and Alessandro Lunelli, who work alongside their cousins in the company management, also took part.
The foundation for these insights and exercises in patience clearly lies in the family nearly century-old tradition of sparkling wine production on the slopes of the Trentino mountains, which channel cold air from the peaks down into the valleys and plains of the province, mitigating the effects of climate change and contributing to significant day–night temperature swings. The Lunelli cousins own many vineyards here, but only two are dedicated to these two great family Riserve. Giulio Ferrari comes from the Maso Panizza vineyard, 12 hectares of rows planted between 500 and 600 meters above sea level on the north-eastern hills of Trento; Ferrari Riserva Lunelli, meanwhile, arises in the Maso Margon vineyard on the slopes of Mount Bondone, between 400 and 500 meters above sea level. Both are surrounded by forests, enjoy good sun exposure, and above all are subject to the strong temperature variations typical of the mountains.
Cyril Brun immediately recognized the beauty of both the territory and the winery when he joined Ferrari in 2023. “For the first few months I only observed, tasted, and asked questions before making decisions. But at that point  - admitted the French winemaker -  I made a series of requests: a new press to be able to work with whole grapes; rethinking the dosage of the liqueur (which we decide through multiple blind tastings to preserve the company style while adapting to differences between vintages), the use of microgranule corks; and new, dedicated spaces with the construction of new cellars. Mountains change everything in wine, because they allow it to retain freshness, therefore to age, and ultimately to become an icon”. Cybil Brun also had to rethink his own orographic concept of “mountains”. Accustomed to the Montagne de Reims in Champagne, which reaches just 286 meters in height, he had to recalibrate to very different elevations.
“In Trentino, Piazza Duomo in Trento already sits at 180 meters above sea level. 70% of the province is mountainous, and 40 of its peaks rise above 3,000 meters”, explained Marcello Lunelli, emphasizing the decision to increase the clonal diversity of their vineyards in order to maintain high biodiversity, which in turn broadens the resistance of plants spectrum and enhances aromatic complexity. And the wines, in the WineNews tastings, proved it.

Giulio Ferrari Riserva del Fondatore 2015
Disgorged in 2024 - dosage 4 g/l
A traditional vintage, warm and well balanced thanks to a rainy spring. This sparkling wine is still a child, endowed with great freshness and a sharp, focused profile, and it can easily age for the next 10-12 years.
Aromas of petite patisserie, peach, pineapple, anise, acacia blossom and its honey. The mousse is firm and the palate highly savory: a blade-like precision on entry that broadens toward the finish, revealing spicy and fruity nuances, leading to an iodized and floral finale.

Giulio Ferrari Riserva del Fondatore 2008
Disgorged in 2020 - dosage 2 g/l
A rich wine, as the vintage was very rainy and then also very warm. For this reason, the dosage was kept low, since the fruit was already very ripe. “Dosage is chosen blind - explained Cyril Brun - in order to find balance between taste and aroma and to let the wine speak, not the sugar. The wine must be in command”. In addition, given climate trends and grape characteristics as fixed constants, dosage becomes the variable that allows the house style to be respected.
Very sweet on the nose, with aromas of barley candy and pastry cream, tropical fruit also in preserve form such as apricot and mango, and finally flint; the lively sparkling wine amplifies a savory and rich palate, full and velvety yet supported by good acidity; the wine remains mineral and fruity, finishing with citrus notes that provide a final surge of freshness.

Giulio Ferrari Limited Edition Magnum 2006
Disgorged in 2024 - dosage 4 g/l
A cold vintage with a warm spring, resulting in a wine whose palate contrasts with that of the 2008.
The nose is again sweet but less expansive, offering floral notes and fresh yellow fruit, bread crust, followed by flint and even vegetal nuances. On the palate, it is less assertive and more gentle, once again floral and fruity but now in white-fruited tones. Less opulent, finer and more delicate, yet extraordinarily long, the wine appears younger and more defined than the previous bottles.

Ferrari Riserva Lunelli 2016
Disgorged in 2024 - dosage 2 g/l
A very mild climate starting in winter, a rainy spring, and abundant vegetation which required careful management. Fermentation in wood teaches that it can make or break a wine: it is therefore essential to put the best wines into the producer finest barrels, carefully balancing new and used wood. The use of large-format barrels allows for slower oxidation, helping the winery focus more on carbon dioxide integration and creaminess. Cyril Brun recalls: “Henry Henryg used to say that the beauty of using wood is that it vaccinates the wine for life”.
Notes of flint, flowers, and juicy, ripe white-fleshed fruit emerge. There is something glacial about this wine: extremely creamy, combining the sweetness of diplomat cream with the sharpness of citrus, even white citrus. Highly vertical in its development, it never loses substance.

Ferrari Riserva Lunelli 2009
Disgorged in 2024 - dosage 2 g/l
An exceptionally cold winter caused delayed budbreak, but the season recovered over the year, resulting in harvest timings in line with other vintages.
Hints of sweet spice begin to emerge, while flint remains clearly perceptible; the nose is overall intense, with yellow fruit both fresh and preserved, yellow citrus notes, powerful yet well defined. The palate is creamy, with pronounced acidity, essentially citrus-driven, almost citron-like before softening into sweeter notes of acacia flowers, pineapple juice, lemon balm, and fresh almond.

Ferrari Riserva Lunelli 2007
Disgorged in 2025 - dosage 2.5 g/l
“At Lunelli, life is a marathon - admitted Marcello Lunelli - especially for those managing vineyards and looking at August holidays as a tempting aspiration. In 2007 that possibility vanished: the not overly warm vintage remained consistent until the end, bringing harvest forward to August 7. A rare and unusual case for the winery”. Ferrari Riserva Lunelli 2007 still appears very young and entirely vertical, whereas its counterpart, Giulio Ferrari Collezione 2007, has already developed a more horizontal profile that allows for fuller enjoyment.
On the nose, notes of ginger and saffron emerge, along with saline nuances and fig leaf, complemented by the sweetness of barley candy and dried apricot. The palate is broadly creamy and spicy, rich in pastry notes recalling zabaglione cream, yet driven by very long acidity with citrus tones of citron and chinotto, leading to a finely sweet, vanilla-tinged finish.

Giulio Ferrari Collezione 2007
Disgorged in 2025 - dosage 2 g/l
Less angular and intense, it shows a softer, finer and more integrated aromatic peak, well balanced between sweetness and freshness. Aromas of flowers and yellow fruit, including tropical notes, vanilla, broom, pollen, as well as flint and balsamic hints of aromatic herbs. On the palate, it is gentler, less creamy and more vinous, both savory and sweet, velvety yet spicy, finishing with the flavor of candied peach.