Harvest

A Journey of expectations and discoveries

Once again, we have concluded the most labor-intensive yet rewarding time of our work: the harvest, the beginning of the long journey that will lead to the creation of our wines.

The 2024 harvest began with a surprisingly warm and dry winter, which led to an early bud break around mid-March. April brought favorable conditions, but the following months held some surprises. May and June were characterized by significant rainfall, although less intense than in 2023. These precipitation events, spaced out over longer intervals, allowed for precise management of phytosanitary treatments, ensuring a regular flowering at the beginning of June.

July provided ideal weather, warm but not oppressive, while August brought a heatwave that dried out the soil. However, by mid-month, some light rains began to refresh the air, followed by a return to heat at the end of August and into mid-September. This alternating weather led to a harvest around October 14-15, after a prolonged wait due to a slowdown in the maturation of the grapes.

At the beginning of September, the grapes appeared mature, but excessive heat had stalled their development, preventing them from accumulating sugar as expected. We had to be patient, and only by mid-October could we harvest grapes with adequate sugar levels. An interesting aspect of this harvest was the simultaneous progression of phenolic and sugar maturation, with the grapes looking mature on the outside while the sugar levels remained below average.

Unfortunately, the harvest faced challenges from recent rains that led to the development of mold. This necessitated meticulous selection both in the vineyard and in the winery, ensuring that only the best parcels were used for production.

After fermentation, initial analyses indicate a sugar level between 13 and 14.5 degrees, lower than the standards of previous years. However, acidity and pH levels are normal, which bodes well for a wine with a lighter structure but rich freshness and good acidity.

Fermentations in the winery were quick and consistent, with sugar depletion occurring within a week, and we are now in the maceration phase. The extraction of tannins has been satisfactory, with no green tannins, except for one tank showing a slight vegetal note.

This Brunello promises to be reminiscent of cooler vintages, such as 2013 and 2018, offering a delicate aromatic profile and well-integrated tannins. While its structure may be lighter than in previous years, it will gain elegance and freshness, making it particularly enjoyable even in its early years of aging.

The vintage of 2023 was characterized by a rainy period that lasted throughout the month of May and half of June. This extraordinary event caused many problems in the vineyards. Downy mildew affected both the young leaves and the small clusters, destroying approximately 70% of the production in a few days. The remaining grapes benefited from a good climate in July and August and were harvested shortly after mid-September.

Harvest date: September 25
Average yield per hectare: 12 quintals
Similar vintages: There is no vintage similar to this one.

The 2022 vintage was characterised by a cold but dry winter followed by a mild spring with very
little rain, permitting slow but even bud growth. Bud break began early in April, and the mild
weather favoured growth, with flowering occurring as early as the end of May, 10 to 15 days
ahead of the usual dates. Temperatures of around 30 degrees, more typical of the height of
summer, were registered early in June, while July temperatures peaked at over 35 degrees. The
vines reacted well and continued to grow, staying ahead of schedule and beginning
to change colour on the 20 th of July. The drought fortunately ended with the first rain
on the 29th of July, followed by more cool, rainy days in August, though not damp
enough to have adverse effects on the health of the grapes. Good weather in
September, with a strong temperature excursion between day and night, ensured
that the grapes were ripe by the end of the month.
Harvest date 26 – 27 September
Average yield per hectare 4200 kg
Average to high quality for all vines
Annate simili 2007 2009 2011 2017

The 2021 vintage was characterised by drought during the summer months. After the abundant winter rains, there was no rain until autumn.

Thanks to a warm end of winter, the vines sprouted early, in mid-March, only to be forced to a sudden halt at the beginning of April due to a cold wave that created quite a few problems in some areas, but fortunately, we were spared.

June and July were mild and not too hot, favouring the growth of the vines and grapes without any problems. August saw a few heat waves that highlighted the lack of rain, but the vines held up quite well.

The harvest began normally, at the beginning of August, and closed around the 25th. Unfortunately, we were hit by an intense hailstorm on the 23rd of August, which destroyed most of the leaves and some of the grapes.

Fortunately, after this rain and hail, the weather remained fine until harvest time, allowing the affected grapes to dry out and not to mould, and the healthy grapes to complete ripening.
Harvest 7 and 8 October, little production but of excellent quality.

The year began with a mild and dry winter and continued with a very warm March which made the vines sprout very early. At the beginning of April, with most of the buds out, an anomalous cold wave arrived, culminating in a dusting of snow and three mornings of sub-zero temperatures, causing considerable damage to the buds. In fact, it froze almost half of the buds which were then reborn but unfortunately without grapes, immediately compromising production.

April and May, rainy but also quite warm, allowed the vines to recover from the stress of the cold and to grow well, flowering in early June. A typical summer ensued, with some peaks of heat but not excessive, little rain until August, veraison began at the end of July and ended around 20 August, far earlier than in previous years.

Early September with some heavy rains followed by hot and dry days meant excellent ripening, the harvest took place for the first time in Sanlorenzo in September. The date of the harvest was 28 and 29 September. The very high quality wines have nice acidity and an alcohol content below the average of recent years, with a good and pleasant framework, a style which could remind us of some harvests of the last century.