What a difference a year makes! My sense of déjà vu quickly disappeared as I tasted through the 2018s. These wines are nothing like the brawny 2017s; Brunellino (‘little Brunello’) was the expression being bandied around by the Italians.
Conditions in 2018 are described as fresh. Following the prolonged drought of 2017, winter rains and snowfall replenished depleted reserves. Spring was cool and wet, encouraging vigorous vegetation. Hailstorms hit the southwest mid-July, with Col d’Orcia and Argiano losing 20% and 25% of production respectively. Recurring showers marked the summer. August was significantly cooler, especially towards the end of the month. September saw notable diurnal temperature differences, favourable for ripening Sangiovese. However, there were two periods of rain that prompted picking. Producers with holdings in both the north and south generally noted more intense rainfall in the former. Certain pockets were more prone to humidity and rot. In the warmest corners, picking started around 14 September with harvest continuing through to mid-October. The challenge was balancing phenolic and sugar ripeness against the risk of rot.
GENTLE TREATMENT
Even with strict selections to bring in healthy grapes, the vintage yielded thin-skinned berries requiring gentle handling. Strategies included lower fermentation temperatures, fewer and shorter pump-overs, as well as brief maceration periods. Le Ragnaie’s Riccardo Campinotti bottled 2018 at the same time as his 2017s to maintain freshness. For similar reasons, Cecilia Leoneschi at Castiglion del Bosco opted for less racking [transferring wine between vessels to clarify or oxygenate it] during cask ageing. ‘In a year like 2018, this was fundamental,’ she declared.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
A Resource for the World? - Argentina is unique in the genetic diversity preserved in much of its vine material. With climate change and disease posing increasing threats worldwide, Catena Zapata winery is asking what lessons can be learned to protect vineyards within and beyond the nation's borders
Argentina is unique in the genetic diversity preserved in much of its vine material. With climate change and disease posing increasing threats worldwide, Catena Zapata winery is asking what lessons can be learned to protect vineyards within and beyond the nation’s borders
Great Cabernets of South America
Other varieties may hog the limelight across South America, but the world’s most popular grape for red wines has played a critical role in the continent's wine heritage. We trace Cabernet Sauvignon’s story here, and recommend 16 benchmark wines to try
PROVENCE by train and bike
With rail links to Paris, Nice, Marseilles and beyond, a vast network of cycle paths and quiet roads, and a plethora of historic wine estates, Provence is an ideal destination for an eco-friendly, car-free and carefree) holiday
IN THE MIX
These days most of the world’s vineyards are planted to just a single variety, but what happens when multiple varieties are planted, harvested and blended together?
Malvasia A BUYER'S GUIDE
If ever a grape was hard to pin down, it'd be Malvasia. Indeed it’s not even a single grape variety. In all of its many varied, and often completely unrelated guises, it has been the mainstay of popular wine styles across the centuries. Our expert takes a closer look...
RIBERA ADOPTS THE NEW OLD WAYS
It’s not so much a new direction for winemakers in Ribera del Duero, but a growing recognition that traditional methods and wine styles set aside by the previous generation can now provide a way ahead to revitalise the region
Roussanne around the world
Up for a challenge? For winemakers as much as wine drinkers, getting a handle on a mercurial grape such as Roussanne isn't easy. But wherever it's grown, when the balance is right, it truly repays the effort
Napa Cabernet 2021
There's a lot of excitement about this vintage, in which conditions were relatively calm and temperatures stable through summer. Ongoing drought reduced yields but intensified flavours, but it means quantities are down and you may need to act fast to secure top wines. Our Napa correspondent selects 60 great wines from more than 500 that he tasted, with many very high scores
10 reason to discover Uruguay
Squeezed between Brazil and Argentina on the Atlantic coast, Uruguay has mostly flown under the tourist radar - until now. Once dubbed 'the Switzerland of the Americas', it's a welcoming country that has much to offer the travelling wine lover
Leo Erazo
The old vines and special terroir of Itata, southern Chile, have beena source of inspiration for this intrepid winemaker. The 2023 fires were a setback, but his commitment to this ancient wine land is undiminished
