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Antinori 2007 "I believe that 2007 will be remembered as one of the most significant vintages in the last fifteen years.
Antinori 2007
"I believe that 2007 will be remembered as one of the most significant vintages in the last fifteen years. In my own personal experience, based on many years working with Marchesi Antinori, this is one of the three best harvests ever, along with 1990 and 1997. In Tuscany, 2007 yielded really excellent results, both in traditional areas like Chianti Classico, Montalcino and Montepulciano, and in the more modern zones like Maremma. The wines are particularly extraordinary because, unusually, they combine considerable organoleptic intensity with ageing potential and a minerally quality only found in really great years. In Umbria 2007 the quality was very good, like in 2006, while in Puglia this was undoubtedly the best harvest ever in our Tormaresca estate".
Renzo Cotarella, Managing Director of Marchesi Antinori srl
TUSCANY
FLORENCE: Tenuta Monteloro
The recently concluded harvest yielded significant quantities of grapes in the Tenuta Monteloro estate, 12km from Florence on the Fiesole hills. The generally cool weather and considerable day-night temperature variation are favourable conditions for the white grape varieties (riesling renano, pinot bianco, pinot grigio, sauvignon and gewürztraminer) planted from 2002 onwards. Bud break and subsequent foliage development took place as normal. The heavy rain prior to mid-August enabled the vines to overcome the initial stress caused by lack of rain which might have compromised the quality of the harvest. The ripening phase began in the first ten days of August and ended in stages, according to the different varieties, by mid-September.
This is what manager of the estate Christian Zulian had to say: "the grapes harvested reached the cellar in perfectly healthy condition and produced nice elegant wines with very promising organoleptic features: very fragrant, with firm body and a good minerally texture".
CHIANTI CLASSICO: Tenuta Tignanello, Tenuta Pèppoli, Tenuta Badia a Passignano
The weather trend in the Chianti Classico estates favoured a generally precocious development of vegetation which in turn slightly affected the harvest period. The merlot harvest took place between the first and third weeks of September, and at the same time the white grapes for our Vinsanto del Chianti Classico DOCG were harvested and put aside to wither. The sangiovese and cabernet sauvignon grapes were harvested between the third week of September and the first week of October.
Estate manager Stefano Carpaneto says: "Despite an early harvest, the wines made from all the grape varieties show distinctive colour and very typical aromas. The polyphenolic component is very dense and the tannins are fine-grained. We expect balanced, beautifully structured, very stylish wines from this vintage year".
BOLGHERI: Tenuta Guado al Tasso
Thanks to a mild winter and above average spring temperatures, the 2007 season began with precocious foliage development which in turn led to an early harvest at the beginning of August. Unusual heavy rainfall in the second half of the month cancelled the effect of the early season on the ripening process. The month of September was fine and dry with considerable day-night temperature variation, enabling all the grape varieties to ripen perfectly and making it possible to choose the ideal moment to harvest in each individual vineyard.
This is what Wine Maker, Marco Ferrarese, had to say: "Given the quality, health and excellent ripeness of the grapes when they reached the cellar, we can legitimately expect excellent results from 2007. The wines are highly aromatic with good colour, mature tannins and considerable structure. We can confirm that the 2007 vintage could be the best we've seen at Guado al Tasso in the last ten years".
MONTALCINO: Tenuta Pian delle Vigne
In Montalcino the 2007 vintage will join the restricted category of really outstanding harvests. A mild winter and even gentler early spring weather caused early bud break and the foliage developed without particular problems. The moderate summer temperatures enabled normal overall ripening of the grapes. We expected to start the harvest early but this did not happen - the harvest took place in the average period shown by previous years (starting after 20th September and ending in early October). The grapes were in excellent condition when picked, showing the necessary qualities for fine quality wines with complex structure, marked aromas, intense colour and rich, sweet tannins.
Estate manager Fabio Ratto explains: "The 2007 vintage is definitely the best of the last ten I have experienced here at Pian delle Vigne. A great vintage year which will undoubtedly give us a great Riserva".
MONTEPULCIANO - CORTONA: Tenuta La Braccesca
Thanks to the mild winter weather, the vines' foliage developed about two weeks early, which affected the whole plant development cycle and the harvest took place about 10 days early. The summer was dry but not particularly hot, enabling the grapes to ripen perfectly although quantities were lower than usual (about 15-20% lower than the average).
As estate manager Adriano Giuliarini tells us: "The high quality seen in all the varieties grown at Tenuta La Braccesca resulted in wines with highly concentrated colour and particularly rich aromas and generous structure. Overall, this is absolutely the best vintage of the last ten years".
CASTIGLIONE DELLA PESCAIA : Tenuta Le Mortelle
Mild temperatures, also in winter, and a rather dry but not too hot summer meant an earlier harvest than last year. The grapes ripened without particular imbalances, preserving their good aromatic features. The harvest took place under the best conditions, a basic premise for obtaining high quality wines with marked varietal aromas, intense colour and a sturdy tannic structure. The harvest finished at the end of September.
Here are the comments of the estate's vineyard manager, Mauro Zenobi: "The sangiovese and cabernet finished ripening in very favourable weather conditions, and were in excellent condition when harvested. We expect a higher standard of quality than last year".
SOVANA ("Fattoria Aldobrandesca")
Thanks to the particularly mild winter, the vines' foliage development took place a week earlier than the seasonal average. In the months of April and May temperatures were higher than average and the development cycle continued to be precocious. From June onwards and throughout the summer the weather conditions were excellent: high daytime temperatures but cool nights. The absence of rainfall caused the grapes to ripen early without suffering from the lack of water, thanks to the tufaceous soil.
Manager Valter Guerrini says: "The stable weather conditions resulted in an excellent harvest and when alcoholic fermentation was complete the wines showed significant colour, vibrant aromas and firm polyphenolic structure".
UMBRIA
ORVIETO CLASSICO: Castello della Sala
The winter was mild with temperatures rarely falling below 0°C. Thanks to the gentle, balanced spring weather and especially to the absence of rain, the foliage development took place about 15 days earlier than the previous year. The summer months were hot but without extreme temperatures, which enabled the grapes to ripen gradually and evenly. The dry weather during the important ripening period yielded very healthy fruit although with some weight loss and consequent fall in quantity. The harvest began in the first half of August with the chardonnay, followed by the other varieties. All the grapes showed a good sugar content, balanced acidity and rich polyphenolic structure.
Castello della Sala's agronomist Maria Barbara Conti comments: "2007 was a very good harvest! The pinot nero gave a particularly striking performance, up to the standard shown by the white grapes especially in terms of aromas. However the same weather conditions discouraged the development of noble rot on the grape varieties intended for the Muffato, and they were therefore harvested much later than usual. Meanwhile in the cellar the wines are developing very well, powerful yet elegant, and very fresh and minerally".
LOMBARDY
CAZZAGO SAN MARTINO ("Tenuta Montenisa")
The weather in 2007 was characterised by above average temperatures in both winter and spring. This meant an early harvest, beginning on 13th August. The grapes were in excellent condition and the analytical data shows good acidity, leading us to expect particularly well-balanced wines with excellent expression of the potential shown by the winery's individual vineyards.
Estate manager Giorgio Oddi explains: "The fermentation results are very interesting: the wines combine freshness and a minerally note from the morainic soil and these features will enable us to produce elegant, harmonious wines".
PIEDMONT
ALBA: Prunotto
Thanks to an unusually mild winter, the 2007 vintage year began with the earliest foliage development of the vines ever recorded in this region. The summer weather was quite pleasant without long periods of intense heat, and with constant breezes. A dry July with practically no rain, which caused some concern for a risk of drought in the vineyards, was followed by quite a reassuringly wet August. The frequent day-night temperature variation and continual breezes resulted in perfect harmony between sugars, acidity and polyphenolic components, the harvest began in late August with the moscato and arnesi grapes, which expressed lovely aromas, and ended on 25th September. The black grapes ripened well thanks to lower minimum temperatures in the first ten days of September. Dolcetto, barbera and nebbiolo achieved a perfect level of ripeness and the combination of elements leaves no doubt as to the excellent quality of this vintage year. The conditions described resulted in a significant drop in quantities for all the varieties.
This is what Prunotto manager Gianluca Torrengo has to say: "Despite the significantly early harvest, 2007 guaranteed well-balanced ripening and very rich grapes, especially in the black varieties. It is still early to express a definitive assessment of the wines but the unusually regular fermentation suggests excellent final results".
PUGLIA
Tormaresca
In 2007 in Puglia the unusually mild winter was followed by quite a warm spring and a very dry summer. All this caused early foliage development and the harvest began about 10 days earlier than 2006. Thanks especially to good day-night temperature variation, the vineyards did not suffer from the heat and the grapes (especially the black varieties) achieved a very high level of phenolic maturity. September was dry with normal weather, providing ideal ripening conditions for the medium-late black varieties like negroamaro and aglianico which achieved excellent results in terms of concentration, fruit and structure.
CASTEL DEL MONTE: Tenuta Bocca di Lupo
The chardonnay harvest began on 11th August, a week earlier than average. Despite the heat, the vineyards showed no signs of distress and the grapes were nicely fresh and acidic. This situation was aided by specific emergency watering and agronomic procedures. The moscato grapes were picked on 27th August and dried in the sun for two weeks. The high temperatures increased the sugar concentration which proved to be well above average. The cabernet sauvignon grapes ripened evenly and were harvested between the 10th and 18th September, while the aglianico ripened much earlier than usual and was harvested between 25th September and 5th October, taking advantage of the favourable weather conditions which contributed towards the excellent phenolic levels and considerable concentration. These elements guaranteed wines of the highest quality ever achieved.
SALENTO: Masseria Maìme
The chardonnay grapes were harvested between the 2nd and 14th August at an excellent level of ripeness. The black grapes were harvested in stages (between 20th and 29th August) starting the selections for the rosé "Calafuria" and the red "Fichimori" (a red wine designed to be drunk chilled, which requires special agronomical and enological care). The grapes for the "Neprica" and "Torcicoda" were harvested in early September, while on 24th September the harvest of the best selections of negroamaro for the "Maìme" was completed. Tormaresca winemaker Davide Sarcinella explains: "Both in Salento and Alta Murgia 2007 will be remembered as one of Puglia's best vintage years, despite the unusual weather conditions. The negroamaro, a variety which benefits from hotter weather, yielded some of the most interesting results, and although the harvest began about 15 days earlier than usual, the results were extraordinary. All the wines, whether from early or late harvested grape varieties, are developing well and we expect excellent results".
