Harvesting 2023
The harvest is the beginning of a new story, the creation of new wines, each one with its own unique personality and characteristics, the first step towards wines that capture the past year’s character and soul.
In the Chianti Senese area, the vegetative cycle of the vine was characterized by a mild and very dry autumn-winter (pre-new season), an uncertain and unexpected variability that characterized a late spring, and that compromised the regular summer climate trend. The phenological development of the plants saw a rather regular vegetative recovery, up to the budding phase and the beginning of flowering.
The rains of May and June gave rise to a notable vegetative development, in some cases prolonging flowering, but creating sudden changes in temperature, which disturbed the fruit setting, favoring the millerandage and dropping of the small fruits. The continuous changes in the weather and the high level of humidity had also favored the spreading of the main ampelopathies, such as Peronospora. Here in the Chianti Senese area this had manifested massively already in the early vegetative stages, imposing careful controls and requiring several agronomic interventions in the vineyard: a scenario that reminded us of several decades ago, when the seasons were marked by alternating heat and humidity and not by the torrid climate like we have had in this past decade.
The summer season experienced several heat peaks, though limited compared to previous years. July was characterized by heat and lack of precipitation, which led to a significant development of the grape bunches, thanks to the water reserves accumulated in the spring. Then, the first days of August saw below-average temperatures but then closed with a final surge, favoring the first signs of veraison. The rest of August gave us stable and sunny weather, with peak temperatures reaching 40° between August 22nd and 25th. At the end of the month, there were significant climate disruptions that marked a sharp drop in temperatures, which then stabilized in the first days of September.
The weather conditions in September and October were decisive for the grape harvest. The ripening period was slightly delayed compared to recent previous years, which meant that the full harvest occurred towards mid-September, ending towards the beginning of October. Specifically good excursions between day and night favored the aromatic enrichment of the grapes, an important element and, as always, we will preserve during fermenting process.
In short, a crazy-weathered year highlighted once again how our technical-professional capacities allow us to obtain quality, in line with recent previous years, albeit the significant 30 % reduction of our overall production.
In conclusion, on one hand, an adaptation to climate change is necessary, and on the other, we must continue to plan for constant and careful monitoring in the vineyard, with timely agronomic interventions, and careful practices in the cellar to preserve the excellence of our wine!
