Our interest for grape varietals has always been focused on autochthonous ones, especially Sagrantino, the exclusive grape varietal of Montefalco, for which we’re trying to deepen the many different aspects derived by its zonation. Studying the results we’re able to achieve in different vintages and from vineyards facing different directions.
It’s an approach we started with our Sagrantino cru back in 2003, when we isolated a south facing vineyard as the proper one for our “Chiusa di Pannone” Montefalco Sagrantino docg. Soon a new cru wine will be ready, whose grapes have been selected from a vineyard facing a completely different and unusual direction, but this task is accomplished with our regular Montefalco Sagrantino docg as well, because each vintage is produced thanks to the best parcels for that specific year.
Something similar is applied to Trebbiano Spoletino. A white grape varietal that was almost exctint from valleys around Montefalco, but not forgotten and just recently rediscovered. A truly important finding that has put a spot light on our production area not only for the quality achievable with red wines, but with whites as well. It’s a truly versatile grape varietal for the vinification approaches we could choose from and for the really long ageable wines it can give. Those are the reasons why for both our Trebbiano Spoletino based wines we opted for unusual techniques: long maceration on the skin in ceramic amphoras production method for “Anteprima Tonda”, and spontaneous fermentation in wood with “Trebium”.
Other grape varietals we chose are Sangiovese and Montepulciano for reds and Grechetto for whites.
2006
Characterised by cool temperatures throughout the year and subsequent phenological lag behind the norm. A rather dry and cold winter followed by a mild spring with little rain and a cool and rainy summer up to the end of August. Subsequently until mid-October there were higher temperatures and a dry weather which allowed optimal ripeness of the grapes.
2007
Characterized by warm temperatures throughout the whole season and by a lower production than average. Early harvest.
2008
Characterised by a cool and rainy spring that led to a phenological lag of about 10 days. During the summer there were average temperature and a dry weather, then in September and October we had northern winds which made the climate cool, dry and with a really low humidity, helpful for a healthy ripeness of grapes.
2009
A well balanced vintage throughout the whole year. Beginning of summer has been rather cool and rainy. Then the season has been characterized by a warm and dry weatjer unitl October.
2010
Characterised by a rainy spring that held to a lag in phenological phases. Summer has been rather cool until mid August. Subsequently until mid-October there were higher temperatures and a dry weather which allowed optimal ripeness of the grapes.
2011
Spring and first part of summer were characterised by a wide temperature range and few rains, so the ripening process was slow and irregular. Since the end of August and through the month of September climate has been dry and warm, with considerable temperature gap between night and day.
2012
It’s been a dry vintage throughout the year, with few rains. Winter and spring were rather dry, but while winter was cold, in spring we had a mild weather even if there were occasional frosts between April and May. Summer has been warmer than average and really dry. The final part of ripening process in September and October has been optimal thanks to a cool weather, good temperature gap between night and day and just the right amount of rain.
2013
Spring and first part of summer were cool and rainy, while the rest of the season hasn’t been too hot and characterised by a wide temperature gap between night and day. Beginning of Autumn has been rather rainy. Ripening process has been optimal but ended later than usual.
2014
Spring and first part of summer were rather cool and rainy, so that the beginning of the veraison happened around three weeks later than average. The rest of the summer has been regularly hot, with considerable temperature gap between night and day. nRipening process has been optimal, but later than usual.
2015
Very well balanced conditions throughout the whole production season. Winter has been rather rainy while spring has seen an high solar irradation and lots of winds. Summer has been dry, hot and sunny. Low humidity values made easy controlling vines health. Finally we had the right amount of rain in September and October for an optimal final ripening process of grapes. Late harvesting.
2016
A well balanced vintage. Spring was rather cool with a perfect amount of rain, Summer has been dry, but not too warm. While in September and October we had less rain than average and a wide range of temperatures between night and day. Phonelogical phases occured later than previous vintages, but ripening status has been optimal for all varietals. Late harvesting.
2017
Water scarcity was the key theme of the whole season. With drought conditions it rained little in winter and through the summer. Very hot temperatures, especially in July and August. Some frosts at the end of April caused a reduction in yield. Auspicious rains at the beginning of September helped the grapes to complete their ripening in a well balanced and timed manner.
2018
Second half of spring has been rainy and rather cool, making the phytosanitary control over mildew a complex task to accomplish. Especially for us, as an organic winery. Summer has been balanced throughout the season, never being too warm. The final ripening season, in September, was dry, leading to an optimal ripening status of grapes.
