Tua Rita Lodano Rosso 2024 review: Petit Verdot takes the lead
A €50.95 Super Tuscan built on 60 percent Petit Verdot and 18 months of barrique. Why I chill it, decant it and never drink it without food.
In Bordeaux, Petit Verdot is the pinch of pepper: a few percent in the blend for colour and spice, rarely more. Tua Rita Lodano Rosso turns that around. Sixty percent Petit Verdot, forty percent Merlot, from the same Suvereto estate whose Redigaffi earned a perfect 100 from Robert Parker.
Cellarmasters, the estate’s importer in the Netherlands, sent me the 2024. I tasted it twice on camera.
One name, two wines
Lodano started out white, as founder Rita Tua’s own idea: since 1999 a blend of Traminer, Riesling and Chardonnay, grapes nobody expects on the Tuscan coast. It is still made. The red Lodano only arrived in 2017. For the estate’s story, see my overview of Tua Rita wines.
The importer lists the grapes as “Merlot, Petit Verdot”. The estate itself says 60 percent Petit Verdot. The order matters here.
Why Petit Verdot leads in Suvereto
Petit Verdot ripens late, which in cool Bordeaux vintages often means it doesn’t ripen fully. Warm, sea-breezy Suvereto gets it there. Then comes about 18 months in French barriques, part new, part second fill. New oak gives more flavour than old, and you can taste exactly where it went.
Tasting Note
Appearance
Deep, dark ruby.
Nose
Rich and layered. My first tasting showed mostly red fruit; the second was all blackberry and black cherry. Underneath, wet forest floor, earth, mushrooms and juniper. Then the oak: nutmeg, cocoa, chocolate and grated coconut.
Palate
Full-bodied and complex. Plenty of fruit, cocoa, a little nutmeg and vanilla. Firm tannins, just above medium, with medium acidity holding it together.
Quality
A seriously good wine, built for the table. It works on its own, but it’s asking for a plate.
The oak is still in front
Coconut and vanilla are the signature of new barriques, and in this young 2024 they sit on top of the fruit. If fruit is what you’re after, give it air: a spell in a decanter before you pour.
Fourteen percent alcohol also needs handling. I put the bottle in the fridge for 45 minutes, poured, and let it settle for a moment. The label asks for 17 to 18 °C, which is cooler than most living rooms.
What to eat with it
Something with tomato sauce: pasta, lasagne, a proper pizza. That sounds humble for a €50 bottle, but those firm tannins want something to lean on, and tomato and cheese provide it.
What the QR code on the back tells you
The code leads to the digital label: grapes, potassium metabisulphite, E414 and E941, which are gum arabic and the nitrogen that keeps oxygen out at bottling. Per 100 millilitres, 90 kcal and zero grams of sugar.
The Equalitas mark appears here too, the same winery-level certification as on the Vermentino, and the label asks for 17 to 18 °C.
Which vintage are you buying?
This is where it gets awkward. Cellarmasters currently sells the Lodano Rosso 2023 at €50.95. I tasted the 2024. Whether the newer vintage will cost the same or taste the same, I can’t say, so anyone ordering today gets a different wine from the one described here.
For readers in the Netherlands, the code ONTDEKCM10 from the card in the box gives 10 percent off at Cellarmasters. I earn nothing from it.
- Producer
- Tua Rita, Suvereto
- Wine
- Lodano Rosso, Toscana Rosso IGT
- Vintage
- 2024 (on sale: 2023)
- Grapes
- 60% Petit Verdot, 40% Merlot
- Ageing
- About 18 months in French barriques, new and second fill
- First vintage
- 2017
- Alcohol
- 14%
- Serving temperature
- 17-18 °C
- Price
- €50.95 (2023 vintage)
- Importer (NL)
- Cellarmasters
Buy it for a long dinner and open it early. Want something lighter from the same estate? The Perlato del Bosco Vermentino costs less than forty percent of the price.
Sources
- Primary source: Tua Rita, Lodano Rosso, for grapes, percentages, ageing, first vintage and soil
- Primary source: Tua Rita, Lodano Bianco, for the white Lodano
- Additional: Cellarmasters product page, for price and vintage on sale, accessed 11 September 2026
- Additional: back label and digital e-label on the bottle, for alcohol, serving temperature and ingredients
Frequently asked questions
Which grapes are in Tua Rita Lodano Rosso?
Sixty percent Petit Verdot and forty percent Merlot, according to Tua Rita. It ages about 18 months in French barriques and is bottled as Toscana Rosso IGT.
How much is Lodano Rosso and where can you buy it?
Cellarmasters, the Dutch importer, sells the 2023 vintage for €50.95. Price checked in September 2026.
This article is based on a press sample from Cellarmasters, with thanks for sending it. No payment, verdict independent.
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