Description

The two thousand and twenty-one vintage began with a mild winter, though plenty of rain and two snow storms ensured an excellent supply of water, which proved to be essential over the course of the rest of the season, mainly dry. A mild month of March was followed by a cooler than average April and May, with limited rainfall and chilly nights and brisk mornings until the beginning of June. Despite the cool Spring weather, the Nebbiolo variety, which is an early developer and therefore potentially more at risk, was not significantly affected and flowering and setting went on normally. The crop load though, was not too high – an estimated 10% lower than in 2020 – reducing the need for green harvesting and giving a naturally balance yield in most of the vineyard sites. June brought warmer weather and a couple of short rainstorms and was followed by a warm, but below average July. Over all a nice summer, dry, but never too hot. An intense rainstorm come on August 2nd, with limited, localized hail damage. The middle of August, second and third week, was the hottest time of the year when the maximum temperatures were close to 35°C/95°F. First half of September remained warm while the second half brought the cooler nights so important for a proper Nebbiolo maturation.

The harvesting of Nebbiolo began on October 6th and it was over in Barbaresco by October 18th. The grapes were healthy, with optimal phenological maturity facilitated by the intense day-night temperature variations. In terms of quantity, crop loads were optimal and well-balanced, with visibly smaller berries than last year. These factors resulted in a strong polyphenolic content, essential to produce wines of structure and balance intended for lengthy ageing.

In conclusion, we can say that remarkable results have been achieved in terms of the quality of the grapes, which will produce excellent Barbaresco wines with intense aromatic complexity.