After a rainy winter and spring, we had quite a cool summer with light but frequent rains and high temperature ranges which made ripening slower, this is a plus for the earlier varieties like merlot.
The characteristics of this vintage are, therefore, more than ever, defined by our varieties.
Harvest started on September 3rd with the merlot grapes: 10 days later than in 2012. The merlot had time to develop more complexity and variety of aromas compared to the previous year because it completed its phenolic ripening.
We had more difficulties with the sangiovese grapes which have a more delicate skin and ripen more slowly than merlot. We picked the grapes in three separate passages because the weather was very changeable and it rained every other day! We brought the last grapes into the cellar on October 17th having started picking on September 20th which is a much longer harvest period for us than usual. The grapes which were harvested before the rains were fresher and less complex, the sangiovese picked at the end richer and more complex, although the quantity was very little.
On the other hand our cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and petit verdot grapes produced great results since their thick skins and less densely bunched grapes resisted the frequent rains, and allowed a very long ripening in which they developed elegant aromas and complex structure with less alcohol compared to previous harvests.
The harvest ended on October 18th and despite the difficulties caused by the changeable and rainy weather we were happy with the quality achieved, especially with specific varieties.
