The 2017 harvest was definitely a peculiar vintage, and undoubtedly one of the most engaging; yet the final result was excellent, if not great. The shooting had started decidedly 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 which is located up in the northern area of Tuscany and close to the Appennines, was able to benefit from some occasional summer showers and more moderate temperatures compared to other areas, allowing the vines to withstand the drought, but 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 their usual conditions. Harvesting was anticipated by about 10 days 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 furtherly, fruit gave a very low yield.



The wines we have obtained from the 2017 harvest, as well as being highly concentrated, well structured and rich in color as we expected, they have surprised us maintaining intense and fresh fruity notes too, and also providing good acidity. Therefore it seems apparent that we are able to obtain both young fruity wines, and also wines suitable for a long ageing process from this harvest. So, probably this year will be remembered for both the scarcity of the harvest, and the excellent quality of the wines produced.