2008 Harvesting
Last winter was long and severely cold with good snowfall. Then spring and the first half of summer were rainy with temperatures below average. This situation brought about extremely critical conditions to the vines and the grapes health also because of a remarkable vegetative growth.
The harvesting season , therefore, characterized itself as a difficult one owing to extensive anomalies and general delayed ripening when, in the second half of August, a substantial climatic change radically improved the harvesting results.
An African heat wave during the first half of September, followed by a dry climate with cold nights and warm sunny days, brought all the grapes to a point of perfect ripening and caused the harvesting to be carried out until the very end of October.
The wines
This year’s harvesting can be called traditional for the climatic trend and for the results of the various wines. The white ones are characterized by a remarkable fruit and a very good acidity, without the excessive alcoholic content of the previous vintages.
Also the young red wines deserve a positive judgment owing to their elegance and refinement. They will, therefore, be interesting wines able to express an excellent organoleptic quality without excesses and with a balance that will above all cause their pleasant taste to be appreciated. The Barbera-based wines are good, too, even though they are unable to reach the 2007 high levels. On the contrary, all the wines produced with Nebbiolo grapes deserve different considerations.
In fact, they are the true star of the 2008 vintage, which, owing to the year’s special climatic trend, has enhanced the strength and elegance of this vine. They will be structurally complex wines able though to develop a rich and spicy taste.