There is one moment in the year when everything we’ve done in the months before finally gets its answer. The winter pruning, the spring days spent between the rows, the long wait through summer: it all comes down to a few weeks, between the end of August and September.
It’s harvest time, and it’s when every winegrower looks at the sky more than at the ground.
This year, the sky was on our side. September gave us dry days, warm but never excessive, the kind that bring the grapes to ripeness without stressing them. We picked on September 24, 25 and 26: a generous crop of outstanding quality. We say it with the caution of people who have done this work for a lifetime, but also with a smile: it truly looks like everything is going for the best.
A year in the vineyard, season by season
To understand a harvest, you have to go back a few months.
Winter was rainy, very rainy, all the way through February and March. That was a blessing, because the soil stored up generous reserves of water that the vines would draw on later, in the hottest months.
In March the warm weather arrived, and the vines woke up earlier than usual: budbreak came 10 to 15 days ahead of schedule. The mild temperatures lasted through April, and we carried that head start all the way to flowering, around May 20, again 10 to 15 days earlier than normal.
Then came an extremely hot June, truly out of the ordinary. In that heat the vines slowed down, as they do to protect themselves, and part of the head start we’d gained in spring was lost.
July and August were very hot too, but the vines never went into stress. In July we had about 100 millimeters of rain (roughly 4 inches) in two storms, and in August another 60 or so (about 2.4 inches), again in two rounds. That rain came at just the right time, and together with the winter reserves it carried the vines through the summer without strain.
Why our vineyards stayed green
In recent days we photographed all of our vineyards, and if you look at the pictures you’ll notice something: the leaves are still a deep, healthy green. That’s no small detail. It means the vines didn’t suffer through the intense heat we had in July and August, nor the heat that came back in September.
Much of the credit goes to our altitude. SanLorenzo’s vineyards sit at around 500 meters, about 1,640 feet, and at this elevation the heat arrives more gently. Daytime temperatures stay more moderate, and above all, the nights turn truly cool. That difference between day and night is precious: it lets the grapes ripen slowly, holding on to their freshness, acidity and aromas. These are the qualities you’ll find in your glass, years from now.
A changing climate, a land that responds
Those who work the land see it before anyone else: summers are longer and hotter than they used to be, and heat waves have become the rule rather than the exception. For the vine, this can mean ripening that happens too fast, grapes that “cook” on the plant, and wines that are heavier and less elegant.
In this new reality, altitude has become one of the most valuable assets a vineyard can have. The higher you go, the cooler it gets, roughly 3°F for every 1,000 feet, and what was once considered a “cool” area, sometimes even a difficult one, is now a refuge.
It’s no coincidence that more and more winegrowers, in Italy and around the world, are looking uphill.
Montalcino, too, is a remarkable place. Just a few miles separate areas with very different altitudes, exposures and soils, and each one experiences the vintage in its own way. That’s why we believe 2026 will be a vintage that varies greatly from one part of Montalcino to another. Here, given the weather we had and the health of our vines, we feel we can say that Montalcino, our own corner of Montalcino, has once again proven to be a happy island.
What comes next?
Now the grapes are in the cellar, and the quietest part of our work begins. It will be years before we can open a bottle from this harvest, but we promise to share every step along the way.
In the meantime, if you find yourself in our part of the world, SanLorenzo’s door is always open: we’d love to walk you through the vineyards so you can see that green for yourself.
We look forward to seeing you in San Lorenzo.
See you soon,
Luciano Ciolfi
SanLorenzo