Vintages

2019****
The good rainfall during autumn 2018 continued until January 2019 when cold days began with some frost and a splash of snow. In February, the entry of high pressure led to a significant rise in temperature with the absence of rain which continued for about two months, so that unusually we started talking about drought. During the last moon of February, the particularly favorable weather allowed us to prune the vineyards. On 4th April, abundant rain interrupted the dry period, accompanied by a drop in temperatures which continued beyond the middle of May. On May 7th and 8th the minimum reached close to 0 ° C. Until May 29 it continued to rain even with real water bombs, fortunately the low temperatures did not favor the development of fungal diseases. On two occasions we have been forced to carry out the treatments with shoulder pumps to avoid excessive trampling with the tractor.

Since the beginning of June, after the rains have ended, there has been a strong temperature change with the highs that have also risen by 15 ° C, heat which then continued also in July and August. Fortunately, both in late July and after mid-August two heavy downpours restored water availability. In particular, the rain after mid-August was useful for lowering the temperatures. The beautiful sunny days of September and the good night excursions allowed the achievement of a good phenolic maturity near the technological maturity (it was a few years that did not happen …). The harvest began on 7 September with the grapes destined for rosé and ended on 21 with the grapes for Candito. The result of the generous 2019 harvest are wines that are certainly a little more diluted than the previous two harvests but certainly with an excellent aromatic complexity.

2018*****
The final part of winter 2017/2018 was a period of abundant rainfall useful for the recovery of water reserves put to the test in 2017; from February to March the rains followed almost uninterruptedly. The always rather mild temperatures have made us fear the arrival of the cold late, so we started pruning with the moon in late March. In April, a period of respite from the rains favored a rise in temperature, rains which, however, were not lacking even in the following months, including during the summer.
In Farneta on August 2, an air horn was accompanied by a light hailstorm; fortunately only the lower part of the vineyard was affected, forcing us to make a further step for the selection of the bunches. All this made the year very difficult for the containment of fungal infections. The real summer seemed to arrive only in late August when a dry period with good temperatures lasted throughout September began, the day / night temperature changes were good.

2017*****
Winter of 2017 saw the return of the cold after a few years of relatively winters. We had several weeks of real cold with prolonged frost. On April 20th, after germination, we had a bad frost that hit the Pietraia vineyard particularly hard. Rainfall was sparse during the spring months and practically non-existent during the entire summer. Temperatures during the summer months were high, almost always above average for the period. Fortunately a low pressure system in mid August brought some rain, which helped to reduce temperatures a little, particularly at night. The April frost and summer drought had a strong influence on production, which was generally very low. Harvest was moved up about 20 days, beginning on August 25th. In general the wines produced have a higher alcohol content than the preceding years, but with excellent fruity notes.

2016****
Precipitation during the winter of 2016 was essential for recovery of water reserves depleted during the previous year. Temperatures were almost always above average for the period. With the exception of part of April, during which the temperatures were above average for the period, the spring didn’t particularly thrill us. Summer was characterised by cool air flow and frequent rainfall.
Warm sunny days during the first two weeks of September certainly elevated the year. The seasonal trend may handicap the longevity of the wines somewhat.

2015*****
The mild, almost warm, winter of 2015, prepared us for a vintage that would be very different from the previous two. There was low rainfall during the entire year. Spring was the prelude to a very hot summer, especially during the month of July. Never before in vintages of this type has there been a wine of such a decisive character; concentration and power predominate….an excellent vintage!

2014****
The 2014 vintage is the result of a weather trend almost entirely outside the norm, characterised by a fall and winter of mild temperatures. Truly cold days could be counted on the fingers of one hand. Spring helped to rebalance the entire year with average temperatures and rainfall. With the exception of one week in June the summer was relatively cool with frequent (too frequent!!!) rainfalls, which eased off somewhat in the month of August fortunately. Obviously all of this had its influence on the concentration of the grapes. .
The wines produced are particularly interesting for their elegance and aromatic complexity.

2013****
If we had to identify a rainy vintage 2013 would certainly be a candidate. It was a year of abundant rains that continued through winter into the spring, followed by a summer in which the rainfall was practically rhythmical.
Mild spring temperatures preceded a summer that was not particularly hot. Fortunately the first weeks of September were hot with pronounced nocturnal temperature fluctuations.
The wines of this year are distinguished by their equilibrium.