Vintage Reports

Ampelio Bucci of BUCCI

Spring and Summer were very hot with very little rain. In fact, while we usually receive about 400 mm of rainfall in the first six months of the year, in early July we were only at 200-250 mm.

This was very worrying especially because in other areas like the Veneto, Emilia, and Piedmont, there was too much water.

Our vineyards, which are over 50 years old now, are planted to limestone and clay, which hold water. We had some good rainfall in July and August.

In terms of quantity, we are down 10-15% but we think the quality is excellent. We took great care to shade the grapes, making sure the top branches developed over the clusters. Thus we were able to attain excellent grapes, as always.

Matteo Sardagna of EINAUDI

There were good water levels in Spring 2021, which opened the door to an excellent growth cycle.

It was hot and dry starting in July and this led to excellent maturation. These high temps eliminated any risk of disease as well. Dolcetto was harvested when it was really hot. The Nebbiolos benefitted from early October rains. All of the grapes have good sugar and phenolic profiles. This vintage promises to be absolutely fantastic. We are confident that all of the wines will be high quality.

Andrea Marchetti of MARCARINI

One word to describe 2021 is “surprising.” At the beginning, the surprises were negative – first because of frost, then hail.

But then everything changed.

Flowering was truly excellent and saw no rain. And thankfully, there were no other surprises. August, September and October saw almost exclusively sun and this brought on healthy water stress, which led to an excellent accumulation and concentration of tannins.

All this, along with excellent health across the vineyards for the entire year, leads us to believe that in spite of the lower quantities, it’s going to be an excellent vintage with great aging potential and an intriguing tannin profile. For now, we just have to wait for the Barolos to rest and see if 2021 surprises us again!

Beatrice Gaudio of GAUDIO BRICCO MONDALINO

The vintage was cold and rainy in a spring that came after a quite cold and snowy winter. But this gave the shoots vigor and balance.

After many hailstorms all over Italy, we saw a big heat wave that lasted from late July to mid-September.

However, phenological ripening for color and tannins happened quicker than for sugars and acidity, allowing for an excellent harvest of the Chardonnay and sparkling base wines, with lower alcohol than previous vintages.

Afterward, we finally saw some rain and had about a week to prepare to pick Barbera, Freisa and Nebbiolo grapes. We finished harvesting 6 October and ended on a fantastic note. It is a spectacular vintage, rich in everything. Ample and balanced, it will definitely be considered one of the best of the last thirty years.

We finished racking in late October and are very happy with the results. We did some experimentation and are very proud: a base for sparkling wine, Monferrato Rosso Merlot and Syrah.

Alessandro Guagliardi of TORRACCIA DI PIANTAVIGNA

The April frost damaged about 35% our Ghemme vineyards and two large hailstorms damaged 40% of the remaining grapes and 80% of our Gattinara vineyards.

We harvested about 20 days later than usual, due to slow ripening, accentuated by a scorching hot August.

Because of this, we won’t be producing Gattinara and Ghemme this vintage. However, we look forward to extreme high quality in our other wines.

Andrea Costanti of COSTANTI

An interesting year that presented frost in spring, reducing quantities, and a hot dry summer. We even saw hail in the region, but our vineyards were completely untouched. September, which is so important for us, was beautiful and we saw wonderful weather with cool, windy nights that helped develop fabulous elegance and aromas. We expect beautiful, clean wines overall.

Daniele Zeffirini of FULIGNI

A wonderful, hot, dry vintage. The aridity did not create problems for us because cool nights “saved” the vines, which were never under great stress. Veraison was slow going, so full ripening came a bit later. The grapes were very healthy, very resistant. The lack of rain helped in this respect. We expect fresh, elegant wines. In my opinion, it’s going to be a fantastic vintage.

Alida Nappini of BOSCARELLI

The 2021 vintage was a fantastic harvest – low production but amazing phenological maturation – one of the best of the last twenty years.

Lots of color, but especially fine and elegant tannins, with great structure and concentration.

Our grapes, all organic, were magnificent and healthy.

Stefania Bussotti of CIGNALE

The 2021 growing season was very complex in Tuscany, thanks to frost in April and extreme heat in August, and a long drought.

Our vineyards are located at high altitudes and this allowed us to withstand these problems a lot easier. Quality is extremely high, while quantity is down about 5% over 2020.

Gioia Cresti of CARPINETA FONTALPINO

This year the growth cycle began gradually and consistently.

The shoots came up well, with no signs of suffering, even when temperatures dropped intensely at the end of April. It slowed normal development down and damaged some buds, leading us to expect lower production – but this generally brings high quality.

Ripening continued well and there was little rain. Thus, we expected early maturation. Oddly this didn’t happen and the plants continued to develop regularly, even the canopy was beautiful and intense.

We started harvesting 15 September with our early-ripening grapes and we finished a month later with Sangiovese.

Adriana Burkard of ARILLO IN TERRABIANCA

Once again, the ambiguous climate conditions affected 2021’s harvest. After a normal fall and winter, spring and summer were unpredictable. The frost in April damaged some vineyards in Radda, which led to our reduced quantities. The long drought and heat put our Maremma vineyards to the test. The vines suffered from water stress that reduced quantities there too.  In terms of quality, the grapes benefitted from a generally good growth cycle, with no problems with disease or rot. This coupled with the constant and meticulous work of our team, allowed us to bring excellent quality grapes into the cellar. We expect a Chianti Classico bursting with flavor and aroma, with good structure. From the Maremma, we expect good concentration and clean aromas, suitable to long aging.

We are totally satisfied with the exceptional quality of the grapes and the wines we produced. Not so much for the quantity!

Michele Osini of FELSINA

The frost in early April reduced our production by 10%. Summer was very hot, but we did get some rain thus no drought conditions. We harvested mid-September, in line with the yearly average. The quality of the grapes is excellent. We expect wines with good acidity and tannins that will stand up to long aging.

Franco Bernabei of MONTE ANTICO

In terms of quality, 2021 is considered to be very good with some points of excellence. Winter wasn’t as cold as it has been in the past. January and February averaged three degrees higher than previous years, while rainfall was normal. Budding began in mid-March. Spring was also warmer this year, and summer was quite hot. During the harvest period, we saw warm temps and this allowed us to pick the grapes when they were perfectly ripe and interesting.

As far as quantity goes, the unpredictable weather and constant changes, heavy hailstorms, frost in early April, the hot and dry summer, speckled with significant storms, led to a reduction of about 30%, though not in all areas.