September 2022
Dear Friends,
I am writing this during one of the lulls in our 2022 harvest. Harvest is often imagined as either a mad frenzy of picking or a romantic I-Love-Lucy grape-stomping idyll. This, our fourth harvest, has elements of both, but is turning out to be more a marathon than a sprint.
On 21 August we picked our Chardonnay. A few days later the first selection of Merlot was harvested early to showcase higher acidity and floral freshness. Currently Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon are still on the vine. It goes without saying that not one of our team will sleep properly until the last crate of grapes is safe in the cellar.
Into each life some rain must fall…
Once upon a time the agricultural year could be mapped out with a lunar calendar and an almanac. Essentially if you knew when Easter fell, with the help of a few crusty Tuscan proverbs, you could almost plan the harvest date. This is no longer the case and our 2022 harvest has required large amounts of courage and humility.
It is the first time that we have waited so long to pick our Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. We made this decision in spite of forecast rains and fully cognizant of the risk to the fruit that the rain might bring. In fact, 3 inches did indeed fall over the weekend and I flinched with every drop, fearing hail or skin damage. But the rain heralded a significant drop in night temperatures and an increase in diurnal swing which is just what we wanted for aromatic development. The morning air is now as invigorating as lemon juice.
One of the blessings about being such a small winery - just 7.6 acres - is that we can wait until the very last minute to make our decisions. Even just one extra night on the vine can sometimes mean the difference between Extremely Good and Off The Charts.
In the cellar
Corinna, vintage 1995, is in her element. One moment she is shoveling skins, sporting a vinous manicure, the next she is striding though the vineyard inspecting bunches before zipping back to the cellar to rack a barrel.
This year has been characterized by relatively quick fermentations but now daily decisions need to be made regarding maceration and skin contact. We test and taste, considering what is best for each variety and every receptacle, cement or wood. There is no written protocol; everything varies from vintage to vintage, just like in the vineyards.
Of course, this extended and prolonged harvest also means constant fermentation in the cellar, both literal and metaphorical. Our winery dog, Coco, is perplexed by the all-pervasive aroma of fermenting grapes. The Chardonnay started bubbling on 24th August, under the watchful eyes of Giovanni Stella, our winemaker, and Corinna Banti, the cellar master.
Fermenting barrels do not respect weekends and have complex needs and demands. If you have never nursed a couple of recalcitrant barrels through fermentation, the best thing is to imagine simultaneously tending to four or five newborns.
Heard it on the grapevine…
All around I hear people ominously muttering the phrase “anno fungato, anno tribolato,” a year of mushrooms is a year of tribulations. 2022 has certainly been challenging for our grapes but it has also been an amazing year for mushroom foragers. On Monte Amiata, there are tales of record hauls and of a single porcino mushroom weighing in at over 4 pounds. The last great mushroom year was 2016, universally acknowledged as a wonderful vintage for wine. Despite the scary summer drought and subsequent torrential downpours, the feeling in Tuscany, both in nearby Montepulciano and Montalcino, is one of cautious optimism.
I shall return to poring over weather predictions and crossing my fingers as we process our September wine offer (thanks so much for supporting us) and simultaneously plan the last installment of our grape harvest…and our upcoming olive pick. The Leccino olive cultivar has a very brief window of perfect ripeness. It is looking entirely possible that we will be picking up the hand-held rakes we use to harvest the olives the day after we put away our vine-clippers. Vedremo, we will see.
Many thanks for being part of our adventure.
With gratitude and warm regards from Tuscany,
Margot
