The 2017 harvest was definitely a peculiar vintage, and undoubtedly one of the most challenging; yet the final result was excellent, if not great.
Budbreak started decidedly early because of a particularly mild winter, and with the vegetation already quite well developed at the end of April, a late frost occurred, which reduced the potential crop to a certain extent.
Then, after some rain at the beginning of May, we had one of the longest dry periods that had ever occurred in Tuscany, with particularly high temperatures during July and August. Luckily, the Rufina area, located in the northern area of Tuscany and close to the Apennines, was able to benefit from some occasional summer showers and more moderate temperatures compared to other areas, allowing the vines to withstand the drought and, above all, avoiding extreme water stress conditions.
At the beginning of September, the climate changed; there was some rainfall and the temperatures cooled considerably. This new situation enabled the plants to complete their ripening under normal conditions.
Harvesting was about 10 days early and took place as normal, in a dry, cool climate.
The crop was considerably smaller than average, partially due to the lower number of bunches but mainly because of the reduced size of the grapes. To worsen things further, the fruit yield was very low.
The wines we have obtained from the 2017 harvest, as well as being highly concentrated, well-structured, and rich in color as we expected, have surprised us by also maintaining intense and fresh fruity notes and providing good acidity. Therefore, it is apparent that we are able to obtain both young, fruity wines and wines suitable for a long ageing process from this harvest. So, this vintage will probably be remembered for both the scarcity of the harvest and the excellent quality of the wines produced.