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Click here for Tuscan harvest updates, Autumn 2011

Paola of I Veroni, Chianti Rufina, 24 October

The end of this strange season has finally arrived. During recent weeks we have finished the harvest of the grapes which are most precious to us because of the variety: Sangiovese – which is destined either for the vintage wine or the riserva. This grape variety is strong and withstands difficulties well and even in these circumstances, when the conditions are adverse, brings out the best in itself. This is what has happened on this occasion – it has not let us down. It has expressed itself to its best potential with a great extraction of colour, tannins and well defined aromatic substances, refined on the nose and on the palate already during the fermentation period. The quality repays to some extent the disappointment of a very small quantity. In fact we have a production which is reduced by about 30% in comparison with the preceding years, above all with the riserva. As a matter of fact we went into the vineyard where the riserva grows during September and removed grapes, preserving only the best and keeping them on the vines as long as possible. In the winery, the work has been very demanding as the variation between the grapes has made it more difficult to carry out the fermentations but, fortunately, in the end, everything went well.

Passion is to a degree the hallmark of our work and I hope that reading the accounts of this year’s harvest which have gone out, if I have not succeeded in this intent, I invite all to come and see us and breathe a little bit of our countryside – with a glass of Chianti Rufina in hand of course! Ciao and here’s to the next harvest!!

Carla of Sassotondo, Pitigliano, 17 October

Finished! We picked the Greco on 11th October and the ‘Granè’ (Alicante?) on 12th October: lovely grapes, healthy, mature, abundant! The harvest finished we celebrated immediately in a way to keep the average consumption in Italy at a high level. A splendid moon, still nearly full, with Jupiter at its side, lit up the night.

Francesca of Massa Vecchia, Massa Marittima, 17 October

Our vineyards in the Massa Marittima area, oriented towards the sea, were harvested around 20 September. They were all very much ahead of the normal schedule, with only the Vermentino having a normal course of development with good results both in terms of quality and quantity. The varieties which suffered most from the late heat were the Merlot and the Sangiovese, the latter due especially to the rocky soil in which it grows. Fortunately, the small amount of rain that fell sustained these grapes, enabling them to complete maturation before drying out.
With the exception of Vermentino, the quantity of all the varieties is marginally lower than usual but the quality is good. In the winery the fermentations, which we carry out with indigenous yeasts and without the use of any chemicals, set off slowly (always a problem with high temperatures and an early harvest), but they have now they have turned out well without any difficulty.
The one vineyard at altitude (about 400 metres above sea level) was not affected at all by the anomalous season. In fact the harvest was carried as usual in the first days of October as usual. The yields were more or less the same as usual and the grapes were perfect. In comparison with the others, the fermentation has also been more harmonious.
In conclusion, in contrast to the way the year appeared at first (which initially did not promise anything good), patience (and good fortune) to wait for the scarce amount of rain and the partial drop in the temperatures has rewarded us. I would say that we can’t possibly complain.

Paolo of Caparsa, Radda in Chianti, 17 October

At this point in mid October I am engaged in making the wine. In the attached photo, you see a trolley of the best Sangiovese harvested at Caparsa for the production of Chianti Classico ‘Doccio a Matteo’. Next week I will complete the wine making and, with the first analyses, I will be able to examine in more detail the quality of the wine. Since all the viticultural and wine-making phases have been carried out in line with local traditions, the resulting wine will not be analysed frequently but solely in terms of its passing through processes from a starting point to a finishing point. In addition, the spontaneity of organic production and even more the passing of time will carry out what is necessary, without coercion.
I take this opportunity to invite readers of this blog to the tasting in Milan at the Rho convention centre on 23 October on the occasion of the awards ceremony of the ‘Slow Food’ Guide and the ‘Slow Wine’ prizes. Caparsa has received a special recognition for the winery and the ‘Slow Wine’ award for our Doccio a Matteo Riserva 2007. I will therefore be present at the event and I will be delighted to let you taste the results of so much hard work.

Carla of Sassotondo, Pitigliano, 8 October

On 5-6th October we brought excellent Ciliegiolo grapes into the winery from the San Lorenzo vineyard, opposite the beautiful town of Pitigliano – see the picture. In the winery everything is fermenting, with healthy musts and we have already begun to rack off some vats. The weather continues to be beautiful, cool in the mornings but one feels really good in the vineyard during the day. We still have not finished the harvest – the Greco and the Sangiovese remains which we will harvest from Monday onwards. Then we will celebrate!

Paolo of Caparsa, Radda in Chianti, 7 October

The harvest finished on 5th October. Splendid grapes with thick, leathery skins. Because of the lovely days no one can remember a harvest as beautiful as this here at Caparsa, with uniformly healthy grapes. During this last week all the grape growers of Radda have been able to complete their picking. I am sure that the Radda in Chianti area, with its vineyards of moderate heights, has been able to respond positively to the torrid heat of August. In addition, the reduced production has certainly favoured a medium to high level of quality, even if with some unevenness. In this year as in others, the vine grower’s intuition – with regard to choices about cultivation – has proved to be important in dealing with the weather which is different every year.

I hope that those who read these lines will remember to taste the 2011 Caparsa wines in four years time, in 2015, in order to complete this experience!

Marco of Capitoni, Val d’Orcia, 1 October

It’s done! the harvest of 2011 is now also completed. We will remember this harvest as one of the most advanced in recent years, for the heat suffered by our grapes and also by us as we picked them. In truth, the Sangiovese which we picked last enjoyed some respite brought about by the rain which fell in the week before the harvest.

If I were to hazzard a forecast about the quality of the wine we will get, I would say: a good year, not I think a great vintage. We have executed the best possible interpretations of Sangiovese when the development of the season has allowed the grapes to mature without haste. The more the vines have time to build up the fruit the more the resulting wines will have complexity and rich detail. Nevertheless we are hopeful: with our dedication, with endless care, we will perhaps succeed in making wines even from this harvest of a quality which the climatic conditions did not merit.

I will take the opportunity to note that we as producers of Orcia DOC wine have, with this harvest, begun to work with the new set of regulations for production. It was seen as an opportunity to develop the original regulations. The aim was to make the most of indigenous grape varieties and of the wines which need a certain period of maturation, both in wood and in glass, before they are put on the market. In the creation of our wines, since the first harvest for the DOC (2001) we have prized the distinctive traits which best identify our production area. From the very beginning this meant ageing in wood and in bottles. It is a pleasure, therefore, to take an active part in the coming to fruition of the new framework for the stewardship and promotion of the zone. It is our hope with this initiative that the wines of the Orcia DOC will continually be improved and that the work of the growers will be properly recognised.

Carla of Sassotondo, Pitigliano, 28 September

As you can see in the photos and will probably hear from the others, things are going really well. Pleasant weather, north wind, some drops of rain last week. We have picked the Trebbiano and today we are harvesting the Sangiovese of a quite young vineyard (though it is 12 years old) intended for our entry level wine, Tuforosso. In discussions with Edoardo: I see beautiful healthy grapes, perfect weather and would like to wait for a bit longer, while he fears the weather will change and then we will have to rush too much … this happens every year. I will let you know how it turns out. I have provided titles for the photos (or at least they should be there). The enormous bunch at the end is Ciliegiolo which in still in the vineyard for a bit longer, like the Greco and the Sangiovese for the Franze and the Sovana DOC wines. Ciao and greetings to everyone!

Rita of Campo alla Sughera, Bolgheri, 28 September

Today we completed the Cabernet Sauvignon and we will pick the last part of the Petit Verdot which marks the conclusion of the harvest. The quality of this last part of the harvest is very good, given that it has benefitted from the milder temperatures (especially at night). This has given us excellent fruit.

During the past weeks we have been selecting the bunches of Sangiovese for rosé. Our choice is based on size, exposure to the sun and level of maturation, with a preference for the bunches which are a bit behind in maturation in order to keep down the alcohol level. The rosé is made in an interesting way: you begin in red wine mode, with fermentation on the skins, and after just 24 hours you move into white wine making, that is, the must is separated from the skins and is held at a maximum temperature of 20 degrees in order to preserve the aromas of flowers and fresh fruit. (In fact this year it is even less than 24 hours as the grapes have a high level of anthocyanins and so give off colour very rapidly.)

For earlier reports, from 24 August- 22 September: click here

Website: Campo alla Sughera

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Website: Massa Vecchia

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