The Story
The first vintage of the Guado al Tasso Vermentino was the 1996. This estate is located approximately 80 kilometers (50 miles) southwest of Florence in the Tuscan Maremma, just outside the medieval village of Bolgheri, and the 1000 hectares (2471 acres) of the property extend from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the hills in the interior. In addition to the major crop to be cultivated, wine grapes, there are also olive groves and field of wheat, corn, and sunflowers.
Wine Information
A winter with normal temperatures was followed by a spring initially marked by above average temperatures which led to an early bud break. A regular spring and early summer - the latter characterized, up until the beginning of August, by somewhat cool temperatures and occasional rainfall - favored an extended ripening cycle free of any vine stress. The high temperatures of the month of August, though slightly mitigated by the influence of the nearby sea, led to some anomalies in the ripening and a drop in the production per hectare. Ideal weather followed, however, in September with excellent temperature swings from daytime warmth to evening and nighttime coolness along with low humidity.
In short: the 2011 vintage could be described as difficult in terms of the commitment which was required during the harvest and during the selection of the bunches on the sorting tables, but very satisfying as far as the quality level attained is concerned.
Each single vineyard plot was picked separately and in successive passages through the vineyard, and the grapes were then fermented separately as well. This procedure was adopted in order to create in the cellars a vast selection of Vermentino lots with different characteristics due to the differences in the vineyard plots and in the level of ripeness of the grapes when picked. The harvested grapes were immediately destemmed, a part lightly crushed, and all the grapes then pressed. Different fractions of juice were obtained from the pressing and were chilled for 24 hours in order to favor a natural settling of the must’s impurities. The clean must was then fermented in stainless steel tanks and at temperatures which were never allowed to exceed 16° centigrade (61° Fahrenheit). The various lots of wine, at a month’s distance from the fermentation, were evaluated and the selected lots then assembled for the final blend, a wine at 12.5° alcohol.
100% Vermentino
Vuosikerta 2011
PIEDMONT – Barolo, Barbaresco, Alba, Langhe & Roero
The 2011 vintage will be remembered as unconventional with its very early harvest and not overly high yields in the vineyard.
The winter was par for the course in terms of both temperatures and rainfall, with the latter intensifying above-all in March (an average for the month of 176 mm, compared to approx. 90 mm in 2010), providing a good early supply of water in the soil.
High temperatures in April – with maximums of over 20°C and an average for the month of 16°C compared to 13°C in the previous year – brought the start of the growth season forward. In the Langa and Roero the first stages in the vegetative development occurred at least two weeks earlier than usual. Between the end of June and the beginning of July average daily temperatures were not particularly high (22°C), though this did not slow down the physiological development of the vine.
In short, in terms of climatic indices no significant differences are to be noted with respect to the norm, whereas the heat pattern was unquestionably particular, distinguished as it was by periods of high temperatures and others which were cooler. Healthwise the vintage can certainly be said to have been very positive, requiring no particular intervention by growers and producing healthy grapes with just a few prudent treatments. Worth mentioning is flavescence dorée, which was encountered more this year than in previous vintages. Very high average daily temperatures were recorded during August (as much as 30°C and above). Although this was not an issue for the physiological development of the vine, partly thanks to the water reserves resulting from late spring and early summer rainfall, it did have repercussions on the quantity of the grapes approaching véraison, causing a loss in weight. This was most evident in the early-ripening varieties and on slopes facing south-southwest.
In this climatic context, the ripening of the grapes was fairly uneven, and in some areas there was an overlap in the ideal time for harvesting different varieties. This meant that the skill of growers in identifying the right moment for picking each single vineyard became fundamental. The picking of the white varieties started as early as the beginning of August with the Chardonnay for the base for sparkling wine, and extended through until late September with the Arneis. The result was wines of considerable structure showing surprising bouquets. Dolcetto was generally the variety that found it harder to cope with the summer heat, especially in the more wellexposed positions where the grapes began to dry out, considerably reducing yields. In higher, cooler areas these symptoms had less effect, and though the yields were lower the quality was unquestionably excellent, producing wines with balance and body, and packed with colour.
For the varieties with a longer life cycle, such as Barbera and above-all Nebbiolo, the rain which fell during the first week of September (approx. 20mm) was truly providential, and combined with the lowering of night-time temperatures this allowed for the reaching of excellent balance in the phenolic components of the grapes, facilitating their ripening and resulting in good balance with technological maturity. And it is this balance between the various components which is the most interesting and difficult aspect of this vintage to interpret: the balance between the sugars and acids, without forgetting the critical phenolic component, especially in the medium-long ageing wines. For Barbera, the vintage was very positive: thanks to the heat at the end of August and September, there was a reduction in the variety’s typical acidity, while the sugar content increased slightly along with the phenolic substances which provide excellent structure and balance. Without question, the variety that adapted best to the vintage was, once again, Nebbiolo. The grapes arrived in the winery with all the properties sought after in this area’s great wines: low yields in the vineyard, and an excellent amount of tannins and good colour, as well as a truly interesting aromatic profile. This vintage was certainly very challenging for growers from an agronomical point of view. Choosing the best practices to follow to achieve the right balance between vine, soil and climate was fundamental, as was adapting to the climatic situation and taking action accordingly. Excellent results were achieved where this balance was found, and great wines can justifiably be expected.
