The 2004 Grape Harvest

We could define it as exceptional

In 2004 the Pisan hills had a medium-cold winter, frequent medium intensity rainfall and a light snowfall in February. Fortunately the cold weather did not affect the growth of the vines. Spring was a mixture of light frequent rain, and sun, which allowed excellent growth but made it harder to manage the typical vine diseases, Peronospora and powdery mildew. Summer not too hot and some rainfall in the middle of July and August prevented the drought stress, particularly in younger vineyards, that had occurred the previous year. Veraison and ripening were excellent, and the daytime/nocturnal temperature range was also good for the synthesis and accumulation of polyphenols in grapes. More rain in mid-September (25 mm) enabled late grape varieties such as sangiovese and cabernet sauvignon to reach full phenolic maturity, with delayed harvests (for the area) but excellent results. For our coastal hill zone this was an exceptional grape harvest.