Some notes on the 2018 HARVEST: good, balanced, with slower ripening compared to 2017 which helped give the fruit complexity.
The spring months and June were rainy, which helped the plants to grow and the soil to return to balance after the great drought of the previous year, but didn’t help much to control Peronospora and powdery mildew which is harder for us biodynamic winemakers without chemicals. We therefore lost a part of the merlot crop due to frequent fungal infections which led to a 20% loss in production. But at the end of day this is part of the game we play, we’re working with nature!
The grape harvest began on 3rd September and lasted until early October. No significant rainfalls and a wonderful phenolic maturation allowed us to work with precision and tranquillity and the fermentations were all regular and without arrests despite our practice of not using selected yeasts.
The malolactic fermentations all went smoothly, without manipulations and the result is balanced and deep wines, in all the different varieties of sangiovese, cabernet and petit verdot. Less "muscular" than 2017 but, thanks also to the good level of acidity, longer lasting.
