Vine year 2018
Nature suffered greatly from the extreme heat and drought in 2017. The natural water reserves were used up and the fear of heavy rains, which could cause erosion damage, was great. The relief was all the greater when the gentle rain began in December, which lasted for weeks and almost completely replenished the water reserves.
Spring brought another great relief with the budding of the vines. Regardless of the previous year’s stress, the plants were bursting with strength. We are sure that our striving to put nature at the center of our thinking and working is absolutely correct.
Only through the year-round natural greening with autochthonous plants, the total renunciation of herbicides and insecticides, the reduction of all preparations to an absolute minimum and the fact that our vines in Chianti Classico have an average age well above and in the Maremma just under 20 years, we can explain that the extreme year 2017 hardly left any traces.
The flowering and general growth went perfectly. From mid-August, the temperature fluctuations between day and night in Chianti and Maremma were already very pronounced. The regular afternoon thunderstorms intensified these natural fluctuations, which was an ideal prerequisite for the perfect ripening of the grapes.
The harvest began on August 20th in the Maremma with the Merlot grapes for our rosé and in the Chianti Classico on August 27th with the Sauvignon Blanc. On October 4th, all the grapes were harvested, in Maremma as well as in Chianti Classico.
The white musts have a beguiling aroma and a perfect balance of acidity, alcohol, finesse and freshness. We believe we have never had a better Sauvginon Banc!
Our red wines have complex aromas, are rich in structure with perfectly ripe tannins; Wines that are certainly also suitable for long storage. In the Chianti Classico, the Merlot quality in particular has exceeded all our expectations, but the Petit Verdot in the Maremma also makes us dream – as so often.
Our conclusion: 2018 is a fantastic vintage!