La Signora Eugenia e il passero solitario

After a mild  and normal start of  the year with  a minimum of -5°C, February brought some surprises with little rain and alternated very cold periods (historical minimum of the past years: -12°C) with  days at more than 20°C anticipating the season. A mild March (130 mm) allowed us to prune before our usual on the 6^th  and 7th; in mid-month there was  the planting of cuttings to complete the implantation.

In April (270 mm and only nine days without rain) the temperatures were lower than the previous month and the grapes remained with swollen buds throughout the month. It rained a lot even in the first ten days of May (100 mm), while the vines started budding shyly. In the second and third weeks, aided by some beautiful days, the shoots grew very quickly and on the 23^rd  the first flowers of the pinot noir appeared.  June was unstable: at the beginning of the month all varieties were flowering and  this would have been completed  in mid-month.

On 23^rd  June a hail storm of strong intensity arrived, but then the last

week was very beautiful. July alternated periods of good weather with relatively mild disturbances,  the veraison started mid-month but on  the 28^th a  second hail damaged the vines reducing the production of  about a third. In early August the veraison affected about 30% of the grapes and the weather remained  good up to the 23^rd . We took advantage of the good weather for a first harvest of the  “sour” batch on the 22^nd  and 23^rd , then a long atmospheric disturbance followed and disturbed the maturation up to early September.

In September, the second and third weeks were very beautiful, allowed the harvest of  the early varieties  in mid-month, then it rained every day for more than 100 mm. Starting from  the last week, the weather  had begun to be bad  and it continued throughout October with light rain but plenty of humidity. October with daily wetting in the first half of the month (over 100 mm), then alternating periods of good weather and rainfall. For overripe grapes the harvest  was on the 7^th, 8^th, 26^th  November  and on 5^th December: alluvial November (333 mm.)  forced us to a huge selection of grapes. December was dry.