Starting 15 days later than in recent years, and returning to the “normal” harvest patterns of the 1980s and 1990s, last week we began harvest at both our Piedmont and Tuscany estates.
In Tuscany on September 4 we started picking the Pinot Grigio for our San Angelo, and right now we are harvesting Chardonnay and Vermentino. In Piedmont, on the other hand, we began picking on September 2 with the Pinot Noir base for our sparkling Alta Langa, and are now following up with the Chardonnay and Brachetto.
In both Tuscany and Piedmont, the grapes were in excellent condition. Thanks to generous rainfalls over the winter and spring, a moderate start to summer and perfect weather conditions so far in September, with ideal differences between day and nighttime temperatures, we are finding ideal acidity and excellent development of the varietal aromas. These conditions result in ideal ripening for the red grapes, starting with Sangiovese, which we will start harvesting at month’s end.
All the conditions are in place for an exceptional harvest – we will keep you updated!