Newsgroup: it.hobby.vino
Titolo: wine spectator su vendemmia 2003 [lungo]

Vi posto quello che riporta WS sulla vendemmia 2003 in Italia
ciao
bacca
With the memory of the rain-soaked 2002 vintage still fresh in their minds,
producers in many parts of Italy faced an altogether different battle with
the weather in 2003. Scarcely a drop of rain fell from May to August, and
daytime temperatures often reached 104 degrees F. Both Tuscany and Piedmont
(see our individual reports)took the brunt of the extreme conditions.
In some cases, the vines stopped growing, allowing sugar levels to build up
in the grapes, while elements that provide color and structure, such as
polyphenols and tannins, struggled to reach maturity. Rain eventually
arrived, in the first week of September, in northern, central and parts of
southern Italy. But according to enologist Riccardo Cotarella, who consults
for estates throughout Italy, it was too late in many cases to help the
beleaguered grapes.
"The all-important thing in a vintage like this was selection," said Tuscan
consulting enologist Luca d'Attoma, who works for wineries throughout Italy.
"You have to go through the crop, bunch by bunch, even grape by grape, both
in the vineyard and at the time of harvest. But I believe that if the
vineyard was planted in the right soil, and given due attention, it was able
to produce good wines in 2003."
Cotarella agreed: "Microclimate is going to play a big part in this vintage.
Higher and more protected areas may produce some very good wines. But no one
in Italy can call 2003 a regular vintage. When the climate is extreme, as in
2003, it's difficult to make great wine."
According to Cotarella, although Nebbiolo had a rough ride in Piedmont,
other later-ripening varieties in more southern parts of Italy did well.
"There will be some excellent Aglianicos from the south and Montepulciano
d'Abruzzo wines from central-southern Italy," he said. Syrah also is
reported to have done exceptionally well in Italy this year.
Earlier-ripening varieties, such as Merlot, had the toughest time during the
summer and were, in general, picked while the heat was still raging on.
Down in Sicily, where heat and drought are no strangers, the major problem
was the excessive rain during the first half of September. The
earlier-ripening varieties -- including Merlot, Cabernet and Syrah -- were
already in the cellar by then, but later-ripening varieties, such as Nero
d'Avola, had to contend with downpours of rain, even floods in some areas.
"We're happy with our international varieties, which were picked in August,
before the rains," said Francesca Planeta, who runs Planeta winery, based in
Menfi, with her cousins Santi and Alessio Planeta. "This year, the reds may
be better than the whites, except for our Nero d'Avola -- both from Menfi in
the south and Noto on the east coast -- which suffered from the deluge of
water in mid-September."
Cotarella said the 2003 vintage in Italy would be a wait-and-see game. "Even
where people are claiming that they have made good wine," he said, "the
question is, after such extreme conditions in 2003, 'Will the wine hold
together -- will it have any aging potential?' I'd rather not think about
it."
FOcus sul PIEMONTE
Piedmont had its fair share of the excessive heat that baked Italy from May
through the end of August in 2003. As in other parts of Italy, the drought
and prolonged exposure to the sun resulted in high sugar levels in the
grapes -- particularly for Nebbiolo, the variety used to make Barolo and
Barbaresco -- but also led to difficulties in the vineyards and the cellars.
Among the problems producers reported were shriveled, raisined grapes and
difficulty in getting the fermentations to finish.
Particularly hard hit were the more exposed, hilltop vineyard sites that,
under normal conditions, produce some of the region's best wines. Throughout
the summer, the progress of the fruit on the vine was weeks ahead of what is
typical. In some cases, the Nebbiolo harvest started up to five weeks early.
"I've never seen such high levels of sugar in Nebbiolo before," said Luca
Currado Vietti, co-owner of the Vietti estate in Castiglione Falletto, "and
I hope I never do again." Vietti, like others, introduced yeasts specially
selected for high alcohol levels into the fermentation tanks. "When you're
looking at potential alcohol levels of around 16 degrees," he said, "the
fermentation process needs a bit of help. I think we managed it quite well
and that the wines will improve in the wood."
Fermentation of the sugar-rich Nebbiolo was over by mid-November in most
cases, but not in all. Roberto Voerzio, a Barolo producer in La Morra,
admitted at that time that he was still waiting for the completion of the
fermentation of two of the six Barolos he makes. "I suspect that there are
quite a number of worried [Barolo] producers that are doing the same," he
said. "But looking at the results so far, I believe that the 2003 vintage
will produce some great Barolos."
Less optimistic was veteran vintner Bruno Giacosa, who makes both Barolo and
Barbaresco at his eponymous winery in Neive. "At this point, I'm not sure
we'll be bottling any of our Nebbiolo this year," he said. "Dolcetto and
Barbera can withstand the heat and lack of water, like we experienced this
year, but Nebbiolo cannot. When the normal maturing process on the vine is
blocked by the extreme heat, the wine will lack color and balance, due to
the high alcohol levels."
Giacosa said he would wait a few months before deciding whether or not to
bottle his Nebbiolo. Last year, at the end of the rain-soaked 2002 vintage,
he had announced that he would not be bottling any of his Barolos or
Barbarescos from that harvest.
The general feeling in Piedmont is that Dolcetto and Barbera came through
the summer heat well. Alcohol levels will be a notch higher than usual,
hovering around 14 degrees in both varieties, but there will be lots of
color in the wines and good overall balance. Yields were reportedly 20
percent to 30 percent lower than normal throughout the region.
FOCUS SULLA TOSCANA
Despite the extreme weather, Tuscan wine producers are expecting some good
results from the 2003 vintage, though much depended on vineyard location and
vine age -- factors that may have helped moderate the combination of heat
and drought that lasted from May through the end of August.
"The main problem in Tuscany," said Renzo Cotarella, the enologist for
Antinori, which has extensive vineyard holdings in the region, "was not the
lack of water, but the extreme temperatures, which remained high even during
the night, not giving the vines a chance to recuperate from the onslaught of
heat during the day."
In some instances, grapes turned to raisins, especially on young vines. Most
producers, faced with the problem of when to pick to get the best out of
their ailing crop, chose to harvest about two weeks earlier than usual.
Yields throughout the region are reported to be down by 20 percent to 30
percent, because of a combination of the summer heat and a frost in April
that killed of some of the newly sprouted buds. Alcohol levels, in general,
are reported to be higher than usual, as grape sugars became extremely
concentrated over the summer.
"In Chianti Classico this year," said Cotarella, "the quality of
Sangiovese-based wines will range from very good to mediocre, with the
better, more balanced wines coming from fresher areas with higher altitude.
In normal conditions, these are the areas that tend to produce less good
wines."
The Sangiovese vineyards in Montalcino, home of Brunello di Montalcino, took
the same beating from the sun as Chianti Classico and other regions farther
north, but reports indicate that the area may have suffered fewer
consequences.
"The vines tend to be older and more acclimatized to the heat here," said
Lamberto Frescobaldi, director of enology and viticulture for Frescobaldi,
whose holdings include the Castelgiocondo estate in Montalcino. "We had to
work harder than usual in the vineyard, throughout the growing season, but
I'm confident we will get some good Brunello, with soft fruit, nice colors
and good structure."
The heat eased off at the beginning of September, and intermittent showers
may have helped Sangiovese and other later-ripening varieties find a modicum
of balance just before the harvest. Cotarella, however, said this was too
late for earlier-ripening varieties, such as Merlot. "Merlot suffered badly
throughout Tuscany," he said. "By the time the rain came, the overstressed
grapes were already in the winery."
Bolgheri and Maremma, on Tuscany's coastline, are used to hot, dry summers.
Here, the soils tend to be deeper, with more clay than those in the
interior, and irrigation is allowed. But even allowing for this, the Merlot
crop suffered, while Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc fared reasonably
well.
The 2003 vintage may be the year of Syrah, which is reported to have done
very well in various parts of Tuscany. "We think it will be the best Syrah
we have ever made," said Francesco d'Alessandro, co-owner of Tenimenti Luigi
d'Alessandro in Cortona, whose 100 percent Syrah, Il Bosco, has been the
benchmark for the region. "Alcohol levels will be quite high," he added,
"but there's a firm structure and good concentration to back it up."
Despite the extreme weather, Tuscan wine producers are expecting some good
results from the 2003 vintage, though much depended on vineyard location and
vine age -- factors that may have helped moderate the combination of heat
and drought that lasted from May through the end of August.
"The main problem in Tuscany," said Renzo Cotarella, the enologist for
Antinori, which has extensive vineyard holdings in the region, "was not the
lack of water, but the extreme temperatures, which remained high even during
the night, not giving the vines a chance to recuperate from the onslaught of
heat during the day."
In some instances, grapes turned to raisins, especially on young vines. Most
producers, faced with the problem of when to pick to get the best out of
their ailing crop, chose to harvest about two weeks earlier than usual.
Yields throughout the region are reported to be down by 20 percent to 30
percent, because of a combination of the summer heat and a frost in April
that killed of some of the newly sprouted buds. Alcohol levels, in general,
are reported to be higher than usual, as grape sugars became extremely
concentrated over the summer.
"In Chianti Classico this year," said Cotarella, "the quality of
Sangiovese-based wines will range from very good to mediocre, with the
better, more balanced wines coming from fresher areas with higher altitude.
In normal conditions, these are the areas that tend to produce less good
wines."
The Sangiovese vineyards in Montalcino, home of Brunello di Montalcino, took
the same beating from the sun as Chianti Classico and other regions farther
north, but reports indicate that the area may have suffered fewer
consequences.
"The vines tend to be older and more acclimatized to the heat here," said
Lamberto Frescobaldi, director of enology and viticulture for Frescobaldi,
whose holdings include the Castelgiocondo estate in Montalcino. "We had to
work harder than usual in the vineyard, throughout the growing season, but
I'm confident we will get some good Brunello, with soft fruit, nice colors
and good structure."
The heat eased off at the beginning of September, and intermittent showers
may have helped Sangiovese and other later-ripening varieties find a modicum
of balance just before the harvest. Cotarella, however, said this was too
late for earlier-ripening varieties, such as Merlot. "Merlot suffered badly
throughout Tuscany," he said. "By the time the rain came, the overstressed
grapes were already in the winery."
Bolgheri and Maremma, on Tuscany's coastline, are used to hot, dry summers.
Here, the soils tend to be deeper, with more clay than those in the
interior, and irrigation is allowed. But even allowing for this, the Merlot
crop suffered, while Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc fared reasonably
well.
The 2003 vintage may be the year of Syrah, which is reported to have done
very well in various parts of Tuscany. "We think it will be the best Syrah
we have ever made," said Francesco d'Alessandro, co-owner of Tenimenti Luigi
d'Alessandro in Cortona, whose 100 percent Syrah, Il Bosco, has been the
benchmark for the region. "Alcohol levels will be quite high," he added,
"but there's a firm structure and good concentration to back it up."
--------------------------------
Inviato via 
http://arianna.libero.it/usenet/

 bacca
[CUT]
Bacca nell'oggetto potevi anche aggiungere " IN INGLESE"    :-PPPPP   Non ci
capisco na mazza!!!

 capisco na mazza!!!
Ti faccio una super-sintesi: le estreme condizioni dell'annata 2003 in
Italia (caldo drammatico e pioggia zero, esclusa la prima settimana di
settembre) hanno causato un vendemmia difficile, anticipata quasi
dappertutto perche' l'uva aveva ormai raggiunto una gradazione zuccherina
troppo elevata (pero' la raccolta e' stata fatta quando la maturazione
fenolica era ancora incompleta): il nebbiolo piemontese ha sofferto
tantissimo (Giacosa ad esempio forse non imbottiglia niente quest'anno),
altre zone meno, ma comunque difficilmente ci saranno grandi vini (anche
se l'articolista dice, unica eccezione, che in Toscana ci saranno dei
grandi syrah: mah, io tanto i syrah preferisco cercarli nel nord del
Rodano...).
Ciao,
  L.
-- 
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   L.
Grazie mille!!!


hanno dichiarato gli intervistati:
- il nero d'avola 2003 e' stato alluvionato e a quanto pare sara' un'annata
pessima per i vini fatti con questo vitigno
- in genere tra i rossi si sono salvati i vini ad altezze piu' elevati e con
esposizioni migliori... cioe' dati non disponibili quando si compera il
vino'
- in piemonte c'e' gente tipo Giacosa che come dice picard disegna uno
scenario apocalittico, altri tipo Voerzio dice che salteranno fuori "alcuni"
grandi Barolo
- in toscana bolgheri, i cabernet sono andati meglio dei merlot e del
sangiovese, in toscana chianti dipende dalle zone, in toscana montalcino
dicono che soffrono meno il caldo che negli altri posti. In toscana sembra
che facciano syrah indimenciabili...
mah
bacca



indimenticabili credo sia una parola molto grossa.
comunque , il syrah case via di fontodi prodotto a panzano è sicuramente un
grande syrah..
ciao
arturo


Scusate l'ignoranza, ma tutto questo è vero?
Con chiunque parlo non fa altro che dirmi l'esatto contrario, cioè che
avremo dei grandissimi vini, che l'annata è spettacolare, è la prima volta
che sento affermare il contrario.
voi cosa mi dite?
ciao.

 voi cosa mi dite?
Io invece e' la prima volta che sento parlare del 2003 come di un'annata
spettacolare.
Per quel poco che capisco di vino sono assolutamente d'accordo con WS: le
vendemmie anticipate (si raccoglie prima perche' il caldo porta gli
zuccheri a concentrarsi piu' rapidamente nel normale, e se lo zucchero
sale troppo poi diventa difficile controllare adeguatamente la
fermentazione) non sono mai grandi vendemmie, perche' si raccoglie uva
matura dal punto zuccherino ma immatura dal punto di vista dei polifenoli
(tannini, antociani, ecc.).
Tipicamente i vini da annate precoci maturano piu' in fretta, sono pronti
da subito ed imboccano rapidamente la strada della discesa evolutiva,
insomma vini non pessimi (come potrebbe essere nel caso di piogge
inistenti nelle ultime due settimane prima della vendemmia) ma certo non
adatti a lunghi invecchiamenti per carenza di struttura.


(tannini, antociani, ecc.).
Ma questo e' vero solo in condizioni di sole piu o meno normali,
mentre in condizioni di siccita estrema, ovvero di stress idrico, la
maturita dal punto di vista zuccherino e' falsa anche quella, e'
l'acqua che manca. Concentrazione relativa quindi, ma in assoluto
manca anche lo zucchero. E' bastato infatti vedere l'effetto di un
temporale in settembre : subito gli acini si gonfiano, e quelli che
sembravano 15 gradi potenziali si rivelano infatti essere appena
11-12.
Mike

 arturo
Non esserne cosě sicuro........
swiber



Immagino che questo sia vero, perň nella mia zona da quel che ho sentito non
c'č stato un grossissimo anticipo delle raccolte, si parla di appena una
settimana di anticipo, ma alcuni dovrebbero addirittura aver raccolto
norlmalmente.
Forse sono male informato ma leggendo riviste locali affermavano questo.
Dimenticavo, io sto parlando di Romagna.
ciao.

 Non esserne cosě sicuro........
Anche lo Syrah di Antinori della zona Cortona DOC, il "Bramasole" non e'
sicuramente un grande Syrah (in particolare la '00)....
Guly


 sicuramente un grande Syrah (in particolare la '00)....
Aspetta la mitica vendemmia 2003 e' vedrai che il Bramasole vale un Cote
Blonde di Rostaing o un Ermite di Chapoutier!  ;-)))
Scherzi a parte dopo il pinot nero il syrah e' il primo vitigno rosso che
espianterei dai vigneti italiani. Non ho mai provato syrah di grido e
costosi come il Case Via, ma tutti i syrah italiani che ho assaggiato
sarebbero spazzati via agevolmente anche da un medio rodanesco, senza
bisogno di scomodare i fuoriclasse...
Ciao,
  L.


 bisogno di scomodare i fuoriclasse...
Sono d' accordo su entrambi i vitigni, anche se qualcuno dice che i
migliori Pinot Noir che si possano bere in Italia, si trovino alle pendici
dell' Etna.. mah, sara'. Cmq una voce importante a sostegno di questa tesi
e' il mitico Tachis...
Guly


 Guly
Speriamo non siano problemi senili!!!!!!


 Speriamo non siano problemi senili!!!!!!
ROTFL!
Guly



Grazie! interessante .... stavo per segnarmi Syrah 2003 quando ho letto
J.L.P....
Comunque ho avuto l'impressione che Cotarella & C., intervistati, tenessero
un po' il piede in due scarpe, della serie: tecnicamente non ci sono i
presupposti ma il mercato va salvato.
In questi casi pensate che il produttore alzi i prezzi degli altri suoi vini
'base' oppure che attui un ricarico maggiore sulla successiva vendemmia? I
produttori sono assicurati per casi come questi?
Grazie
Danilo



Ciao
enociccio

 bisogno di scomodare i fuoriclasse...
Hai provato quelli di Spadafora?
Pensi che potrebbero fare la loro porca figura sul medio termine?
--
PierEno

 grande syrah..
traducevo liberamente il testo. Ti diro' la verita', forse l'ultimo syrah
italiano cbe ho bevuto era 3 anni fa, quindi non faccio proprio testo!
ciao


 Pensi che potrebbero fare la loro porca figura sul medio termine?
Onestamente credo di si' ma non sono sicuro, in ogni caso quest'anno, al
Salone del Vino di Torino, insieme a Schigi abbiamo assaggiato almeno una
decina di Syrah siciliani dei vari produttori piu' o meno di grido (da
Cottanera a Planeta, credo anche Spadafora): tutti uguali, tutti mediocri
IMHO.
