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Viinin Kuvailu
The Story
The wine Galatrona is a cru of Merlot made from the vineyard Galatrona planted in various phases during the 1990’s with low vigor bordeaux clones in the locality known as Feriale. The vineyard extends for 10 Ha with almost 50.000 plants grown on spurred cordon trellising.
Loam rich in clay, with shale, marl and sandstones.
Altitude 300 m asl. South-eastern exposure. Placed on the south-eastern borders of the Chianti Hills, in the DOC Val d’Arno di Sopra.
Clay helps keeping moisture in the soil, of which merlot has higher needs in the hot, dry, Tuscan summers. The combination of stones, shale and clay is among the elements that allow Galatrona to produce an elegant and full bodied wine even in what are considered minor vintages.
Since 2004 we have been abandoning traditional farming methods practising Natural/Sustainable farming: dry farming, no tillage, total grassing with mulch management, no synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. Official Organic Certification was obtained from harvest 2016 (Petrolo olive oil is organic since the 90’s). To achieve natural balance in the vineyard, plant management is made by hand with targeted intervention. Heavier pruning and grape thinning is almost absent in the mature vineyards already balanced. Today extra management is only needed in the more challenging years only.
Vinification: Manual harvest in crates and further grape selection with sorting table. Natural vinification with native yeasts in cement vats. Manual soft and frequent pumping over. Skin maceration over 15 days.
Aging: Spontaneous malolactic fermentation in wood.
Maturation: In Frech oak barrique, a third new, for about 18 months. Constant batonnage of the fine lees for the first 6 months.
Vuosikerta 2020
High rainfall in November and December of 2019 allowed Italy’s water reserves to be restored. Initial predictions from OIV indicate a reduced overall production of 47.2mhl, down only 1% compared to 2019. We’re happy to report that despite a chaotic year for most of us, 2020 is looking like a successful vintage for many Italian producers.
Veneto: The growing season began slightly early for our Venetian growers, and with no reported problems during flowering and fruit set. Mild temperatures and precipitation from March through July were beneficial. Temperatures rose in July and early August, followed by summer storms in the flatlands of Valpolicella that were intense and created some sporadic problems due to heavy rain and some hail, but thankfully didn’t create any lasting damage. The quality and health of the grapes are good, with normal levels in sugar, in line with previous years
Piedmont: 2020 is a vintage to watch, as Barbera and Nebbiolo producers report a calm growing season, with nice weather throughout August and September. The harvest began in October and the health of the grapes is reported to be perfect, with good sugar levels and phenolic ripeness. The key contributing factor was the temperature shift between day and night, helping to develop great aromas and retain freshness.
Tuscany: The weather in Chianti and Montalcino in San Polino’s words “behaved perfectly and properly all summer long with a hot July and August interspersed with exactly the right amount of rainfall at exactly the right time.” Rain just before the harvest brought the relief vineyards needed from hot winds and the soils greedily absorbed any excess water in time for picking. The 2020 vintage for Brunello di Montalcino has less quantity than usual but its quality, San Polino reports, “is out of this world. May be one of those vintages to remember.”
Sicily: The 2020 vintage was very typical for Sicilian growers, and with no major issues. The weather was very dry throughout the year, with some drought, but not too hot, and without extensive heat waves. Mild winds gave the island a healthy environment for grapes to grow and for pickers at harvest time. At the end of July temperatures dropped and there was a lot of rain, which re-balanced reserves and slowed ripening. Thanks to a temperature range of almost 20 degrees between day and night, we can expect good acidity, balanced with phenolic ripeness in Sicilian wines from 2020.