In the vineyard: Veraison

We are at the phenological stage of veraison.
The bunch begins to ripen and we see its transition from a hard bunch to a soft one. This transformation will lead to a lowering of acidity and an increase in sugars.
This phase is likely to be anticipated due to the severe lack of water. In the absence of water, the vine devotes all its energies to the ripening of the fruit to the detriment of the growth of the plant and leaves.

Cru Civine: Severe drought and solutions

Severe drought, lack of rainfall and temperatures out of control make the 2022 vintage very complex.

To deal with this problem immediately we had to gear up and organize ourselves. Irrigating is not our usual practice, but over the last 15 days we have used around 8,000 liters of water per day for emergency irrigation in the various crus allowing their fruit to form and ripen.

This is the solution to save this vintage and is therefore temporary. Irrigating is not sustainable. That is why as Vigneron 2.0 we have the obligation to adapt and find effective solutions to this new climate situation.

We have purchased 4 rainwater collection tanks with the aim of reusing as much as possible by lowering the impact of our production on the environment.

"Complaining is okay but being in the same situation next year means you're shortsighted."

In the cellar:The new tonneaux arrived 

The new tonneaux have arrived from the French "Cavin" tonneaux.

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The French term "tonneau", "tonneaux" in the plural, derives from the Latin "tunna", which can be translated as "barrel" or "container". As the name suggests, the "tonneaux" are wooden barrels, originating in the Bordeaux area, in France, but now widespread all over the world, used for the refinement of wine.
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A collaboration, the one with Cavin, which began in 2021. We are very happy with this collaboration and with being the only ones in Italy to use these wooden barrels.

Vintage 2022

It is not in the "normal" vintages in which the great vigneron is seen. The handle can be seen in complex vintages, where the difficulties seem insurmountable and the solutions seem to be very far away.

We remember well the 2014 vintage, the innumerable rainfall and the cold climate that caused a poor ripening. 2014 brought with it several negative thoughts: everyone thought they had made a bad wine. However, today we are talking about the 2014 vintage as a singular vintage, one of a kind but still qualitative in its terroir concepts.

I don't want to say that the 2022 vintage will be the same, but let's wait before drawing conclusions.

"The 2014 vintage teaches us that in difficult vintages, the great terroirs know how to behave and the great vignerons know how to interpret."

MORE BUBBLES, LESS BOLLOCKS:

The 3 best bottles of the month

Before I'm a creator, you know, I'm a drinker. I want to share with you every month the 3 bottles that excited me the most.


🍾 Domaine de La Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti Grand Cru, 2010 

🍾🍾  Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Montrachet Grand Cru, 2014 

🍾🍾🍾 Domaine de La Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti Grand Cru, 2009