The 2011 season started under the banner of precociousness and vegetative speed, as a consequence of good initial water reserves and rather warm end of winter-start of spring.
Already a vegetative start so irrepressible was a harbinger of a difficult season, marked by excesses, and in fact all the subsequent months were marked by alternation and the cyclical nature, with warm periods between long cold and wet periods, also with some impressive hailstorms (Oltrepò).
The veraison also occurred in the name of alternation: it started in the cold and atypical July and ended during a dry August, very hot, in many cases compounded by the absence of temperature changes and a strong and continuous hot-dehydrating wind. This was the crucial time of the last vintage, with the vine root being asked to perform the hard trial of behaving like a “pump in a dry well”.
These conditions have stricken especially areas such as Maremma, and more in general the first hill ranges, between 50 and 300 m asl, “sparing” the irrigated plains and the cooler higher hills.
In these conditions, where in no time at all the vines went into stress hopelessly losing leaves, the correct agronomic technique was winning and an equally prompt and timely execution of agricultural operations, since only they were able to ensure the best balance between vegetation and production thus limiting the damage of such a stressful season.
In particular, in addition to the decisive character of rootstock, clone and orientation of the rows a key role was played by the right timing in grass mowing, nutrition, the prudent (and sparse) toppings and stripping, rational and ready thinning out, careful choice of the harvesting time.
2011 white wines, an in particular the autochthonous Albana, Rebola, Famoso and Vermentino, were surprisingly interesting, taking aromatic advantage from July’s temperature fluctuations and being conservative in structure and acidity. White grape varietals, of French origin, especially early ones, were only interesting in places of greater territorial calling.
The condition of red wines was a lot more variable, in general sustained by good acidity, although there was a marked difference between vineyards and vines that were harvested early and in a hurry (often marked by loss of leaves, burnt grapes and poor tannin quality) and those that were able to overcome August’s stress taking advantage from September and October that were back to normal.
We are sharing with you the apprehension for this “warm” autumn-winter both from the climate (marked by widespread lack in precipitation) and economic point of view, with a difficult market outlook where we are asked to respond with renewed will to best and promptly interpret economic requirements and trends.
Best wishes

Remigio e Francesco Bordini