“The 2020 vintage was characterized by a rather warm winter with above average temperatures and little rain, in any case sufficient to meet the groundwater needs. For this reason, germination began about ten days in advance, which made the risk of frost particularly significant. We have therefore implemented a series of actions to reduce this unpleasant possibility such as the reduction of green manure crops in some areas and / or specific processes on particular soils that we know as more susceptible.
June and July were spectacular months with above average temperatures, characterized above all by an interesting temperature range between day and night. At the end of June, heavy rain provided the necessary water resources for at least 45 days. From mid-July onwards, the oidic pressure was important: we had to pay particular attention to this threat by remaining alert, ready to respond to the slightest infection. Our care in the management of the canopy, the preventive treatments carried out at the right times, the endogenous resistance of our vines were all essential factors to overcome this difficult moment without damage.
A particularly hot end of July and early August, with above average temperatures, the consequences of which were mitigated by agronomic choices such as reduced defoliation and kaolin-based treatments operated in advance.
The second and third decade of August brought true heat, with temperatures however not exceeding 36 ° C; the plants in perfect shape were able to cope with veraison in the best possible way. A rain at the end of August favored a gradual and homogeneous ripening.
The harvest, which began on September 6, was carried out with almost summer temperatures; the grapes harvested were in excellent health, concentrated and within the parameters.
It was a vintage that if from some points of view reminded me of 2015, in reality it turned out to be different from all … as always happens, each harvest has its own story: I will remember this for two reasons above all. On the one hand, the uncertainty of the beginning, with the need to reorganize our activities to respond to an unexpected event larger than us, taken by the desire to continue to do our job well but at the same time do it safely. On the other hand, what marked the 2020 vintage, defining its success or failure, were certainly the agronomic choices made: each was individually fundamental to ensure a result that in itself brings all our ability to foresee and act to time putting in place appropriate and timely choices, strategies that even if they involved a margin of error have proved to be right, giving us a product we are proud of and which I believe will reveal itself over time of great character».
Francesco Monari, agronomist and CFO