2017 – A complicated harvest
A very unusual harvest period at Tenuta di Trecciano has just come to an end. We all know about the great heat that plagued all of Italy from May until the first days of September. In reality, it was not only the high summer temperatures that made this 2017 production particular. The first determining factor was the cold after an early warming. In April, after a few weeks of beautiful balmy weather that had started the vigorous vine growth, there was a wave of frost that stopped explosion of part of the newborn sprouts; especially in the vineyards located in a lower position of the valley and not protected by the forests.
Then the 2017 season continued as it started: with abnormal heat – when the temperature rose well above 40 degrees Celsius and extended over a long period of time. Due to all this incredible warmth there wasn’t very much rain, causing a further fall in production. Fortunately, the grapes that have been harvested are healthy and the vintage 2017 will have intense quality, even if it lacks in quantity. The heat favored sugar maturation, which means, when fermented, significant alcoholic gradations.
This year’s harvest at Trecciano started early, and we harvested our Merlot grapes already in the last week of August. We continued harvesting Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc, Syrah and Sangiovese grapes in the first half of September. These grapes enjoyed and benefited from the first seasonal rainfall in the early September.
In conclusion, this will be a vintage for true vineyard workers!
Vineyard workers who, like us, were able to interpret such unusual and extreme climate trends, and have worked on the soil to help the vines against drought, have carefully sorted the grapes at harvest time, and then have limited maceration periods and micro-oxygenation of musts. All of our care and knowledge has given us wonderful millennium 2017 wines with soft tannins and rich fruity bouquets that are yet dense and powerful, with important structures and privileged footprints!
