harvest report

<p>Thinking of the 2022&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintage</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> it reminds me of a day in late August when it began raining steadily after weeks of intense heat and dryness. We were outside in the backyard with the girls playing, smiling and hoping that the rain would announce&nbsp;the arrival of cooler weather and more wet days (though that&rsquo;s not exactly what we&rsquo;d get). &nbsp;In September, we had an alternation of rainy and sunny days, which the vines enjoyed a lot, recovering from the hot and dry season.&nbsp;</p> <p>We started <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvesting</glossary> the <glossary term="Cesanese" title="261">Cesanese</glossary> on September 3rd in the young Terra Felix vineyard in Paliano, where the grapes usually ripen in advance, compared to the <glossary term="Piglio" title="796">Piglio</glossary> and Serrone vineyards, because of the local&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Microclimate" title="656">microclimate</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> The <glossary term="Drought" title="1167">drought</glossary> has concentrated a lot of sugar in the grapes and we had some very stressful moments during the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Spontaneous Fermentation" title="976">spontaneous fermentation</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> which galloped and then slowed down in dangerous ways, ending with <glossary term="Residual Sugar" title="853">residual sugar</glossary> that ran out only after almost two months sitting on the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Lees" title="590">lees</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> In spite of that a powerful wine was born: &ldquo;L&#39;Onda&rdquo;.</p> <p>The <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvest</glossary> kept on going from mid-September to mid-October.&nbsp;We started first in the Serrone vineyards, collecting the grapes for Raphael Ros&eacute;, the first part of Raphael Rosso and the grapes for our new&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Methode Ancestrale" title="1311">ancestral sparkling wine</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> Lastly came the <glossary term="Piglio" title="796">Piglio</glossary> grapes for Raphael Bianco, Mola da Piedi Cesanese and the second part of the Raphael Rosso.</p> <p>Raphael Ros&eacute; was left in contact with the skins for 12 hours with dry ice before&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span> <glossary term="Racking/Soutirage" title="843">racking</glossary><span>.</span></span></span></p> <p>This year we have <glossary term="Vinification" title="1104">vinified</glossary> the <glossary term="Cesanese" title="261">Cesanese</glossary> grapes from Grotte vineyard in a separate <glossary term="Vat/Tank" title="1140">tank</glossary> to taste the results of nine years of agro-homeopathy work in the vineyard: the result is extraordinary. We have had already seen a soft soil with rich spontaneous vegetation, the vines changing in color and texture, no suffering for the very hot summer and good ripening of all the grapes. Plus&nbsp;vines that have not thinned or defoliated.</p> <p>The <glossary term="Fermentation" title="441">fermentation</glossary> was beautiful and very fast, lasting only six days with a temperature stuck at 22 &deg;C: &ldquo;Perfect&rdquo;. We did not get much color in this <glossary term="Must" title="700">must</glossary> because the fast <glossary term="Fermentation" title="441">fermentation</glossary> did not allowed much&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Extraction" title="433">extraction</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> So, this must will be <glossary term="Blending" title="1146">blended</glossary> with the one from grapes <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvested</glossary> in Serrone, which have an intense color and depth of flavor and aroma typical of&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Cesanese" title="261">Cesanese</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> All the <glossary term="Must" title="700">musts</glossary> for our future <glossary term="Cesanese del Piglio" title="1337">Cesanese del Piglio</glossary> are extraordinary.</p> <p>The white grapes for Raphael Bianco were <glossary term="Harvest" title="521">harvested</glossary> last because we wanted the benefit of the rains to enrich them. We left the <glossary term="Must" title="700">must</glossary> in <glossary term="Maceration" title="610">skin contact</glossary> for 36 hours, using dry ice to extract aromas and saturate the&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Vat/Tank" title="1140">tanks</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> We had a little <glossary term="Residual Sugar" title="853">residual sugar</glossary> left at the start of the <glossary term="Malolactic Fermentation" title="622">malolactic fermentation</glossary> before the <glossary term="Alcoholic Fermentation" title="87">alcoholic one</glossary> had completed. But the wine will be able to digest the sugar in the following months of resting on its&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Lees" title="590">lees</glossary><span>.</span></span></span></p> <p>For now the wines are&nbsp;<glossary term="Aging" title="74">aging</glossary> as follows: Mola da Piedi in large &ldquo;terracotta&rdquo; <glossary term="Amphora" title="103">amphora</glossary>; Raphael Ros&eacute; divided among <glossary term="Concrete" title="325">cement</glossary> <span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Vat/Tank" title="1140">tanks</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> tava <glossary term="Amphora" title="103">amphora</glossary> and&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary term="Stainless Steel" title="986">steel</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> the Raphael white and red in <glossary term="Concrete" title="325">cement</glossary> <glossary term="Vat/Tank" title="1140">tanks</glossary> divided by <glossary term="Parcel" title="760">parcel</glossary> for now; L&#39;Onda is in a big <glossary term="Barrel" title="142">barrel</glossary> to refine its evolutionary movements.</p> <p>The 2022 <glossary term="Vintage" title="1109">vintage</glossary> has a nice sound for us!</p> <p>Greetings from our <glossary term="Artisan" title="121">artisan</glossary> hands, our agricultural feet and our artist hearts.</p> <p><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//944/6d/47/6d4735bc4f5135539b1ce14bef52849e.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//944/d8/84/d884416d498d51380854970ab6808e11.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//944/41/b5/41b5c046cd3068ef678a8a02f4ff8516.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//944/b3/65/b365b3c08687663a5be1ee409c4184a4.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//944/5c/cb/5ccbf2a837c0e3c8cbba505105ca22f1.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//944/54/4e/544e13210f539caf94bf1cfbc8afa852.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//944/1c/31/1c317ffe635581b17e0dddedcf171437.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//944/fc/4a/fc4aa16c6f97f786e4fc7b6861d723fe.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//944/f7/4c/f74caf3bd47f553a4268114877564777.jpg" /><img src="https://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article//944/a6/ba/a6bacac524e53666413ab9e03b3653f5.jpg" /></p>

harvest report

<p>2018 has been a very important year for us, both for our family and business. We have crowned our sentimental story through our wedding in August. The party in the vineyard was great, with lots of friends, relatives and good food. With enthusiasm we dived deeper with our hands and feet &quot;in the <glossary title="700">must</glossary>&quot; of our winery adventure.<br /> <br /> This year we have renovated the Massimi Berucci family&#39;s historical <glossary title="254">cellar</glossary> and are calling it &quot;Cantina Berucci Montecchi&quot;; giving continuity to the past and present. We have brought in <glossary title="325">concrete</glossary> &nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1140">tanks</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> both plain and coated with&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span> <glossary title="445">fiberglass</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> a brand new, 10<glossary title="524">hl</glossary> Paucha <glossary title="142">barrel</glossary> to host future &quot;L&#39;Onda&quot; wines and a TAVA&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="103">amphora</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> All this in addition to our old faithful <glossary title="1218">open wooden vats</glossary> and the last but not the least squad of 54l carboys ?&nbsp;<strong>(ed note: I have no idea what that means)</strong>.<br /> <br /> The 2017-18 season has not be a good one for&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1103">viticulture</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> In springtime with had a late&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1135">frost</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> fortunately with limited damage. Rain and high humidity lasted all summer, promoting the outbreak of downey <glossary title="1137">mildew</glossary> that accompanied us through the season. The result has been very bad. We have lost most of the <glossary title="261">Cesanese</glossary> grapes in Casalotto vineyard, whereas we the damage was limited at Mola da Piedi (the strength of the small), Colli Santi where the <glossary title="497">alberello</glossary> vines are planted in a way that helps against fungal diseases, and Sterparo Lungo, Paliano, which has a good <glossary title="430">exposition</glossary> of the &quot;sunny side&quot;. In the end, the harvest of <glossary title="261">Cesanese di Affile</glossary> grapes has not been great, whereas the <glossary title="764">Passerina del Frusinate</glossary> one has been satisfying.<br /> <br /> At the arrival of the grapes in the winery we used dry ice (<glossary title="310">CO2</glossary>) to prevent <glossary title="754">oxidative</glossary> processes in the grapes. The result of using plain <glossary title="325">concrete</glossary> <glossary title="1140">tanks</glossary> has been great: <glossary title="976">spontaneous fermentation</glossary> started in 24 hours and finished in 10 days time, with a regular trend in sugar degradation and constant temperatures. <glossary title="764">Passerina</glossary> was left <glossary title="610">macerate</glossary> on its skins for 36 hours, then <glossary title="827">pressed</glossary> and left to <glossary title="441">ferment</glossary> inside a <glossary title="325">concrete</glossary> <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1140">tank</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> <glossary title="261">Cesanese</glossary> grapes were handled in different ways according to their final destination. Mola da Piedi were crushed <glossary title="1124">whole-cluster</glossary> by foot by Maria and Geminiano, then left to <glossary title="441">ferment</glossary> in <glossary title="1218">open wooden vats</glossary> and&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="103">amphora</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> with <glossary title="74">aging</glossary> in <glossary title="103">amphora</glossary> and 54t carboys. The Rosso has followed both <glossary title="441">fermentation</glossary> and <glossary title="74">aging</glossary> inside <glossary title="325">concrete</glossary> <span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1140">tank</glossary><span>.</span></span></span><br /> <br /> Because of this challenging&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1109">vintage</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> this year there will be no &quot;L&#39;Onda&quot; 2018. We are going to make a <glossary title="168">blend</glossary> with part of the wine for &quot;L&#39;Onda&quot; 2017, a super wine, in order to increase the Rosso according to our commercial needs and to ameliorate its organoleptic properties.</p> <p><br /> In spite of the bad season, we have tried micro<span class="zalup"><span><span>-</span><glossary title="1104">vinifications</glossary> </span></span>on white grapes from the Mola da Piedi vineyard. We <glossary title="827">pressed</glossary> them at&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="1124">whole-cluster</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> then <glossary title="441">fermentation</glossary> and <glossary title="74">aging</glossary> inside 54t carboys, &quot;a little poetry&quot; of wine ?<br /> <br /> As a matter of fact, we have behaved as wine&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="121">artisans</glossary><span>.</span></span></span> We have guarded and defended our vineyards so that they could produce as best they could. The application of homeopathic remedies helped us not to rustle with excessive doses of <glossary title="333">copper</glossary> and&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="993">sulfur</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> using them when and where necessary in little quantities.<br /> <br /> We have made grapes into wine with attention, respect and passion, without adding any&nbsp;<span class="zalup"><span><glossary title="321">commercial yeast</glossary><span>,</span></span></span> <glossary title="993">sulfite</glossary> or other adjuvants. We have decanted the wine following the moon calendar and so on according to our ethic: &quot;If the process is good the result will be the same&quot;.</p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_16//27/b1/27b105c232040f8cba163b1e1b75717b.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_16//09/52/09528535852715c1a57f2e8285d94b86.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_16//48/e6/48e6c0fc92305da9a9b5c602ea9d78af.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_16//f8/0a/f80adb03922db6ad2f66a5a4dd4c6319.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_16//e2/bc/e2bc286e0c7c2173379ed54945fa9ec9.jpg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_16//5a/ad/5aadd640268b69315e60ff8b17412469.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_16//3f/e8/3fe867bf67c7d04f302fb17972bfb602.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_16//ec/84/ec843b59ee224d8f8ba6ca6a34b80491.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_16//f8/92/f892d0c324f96356e8b0bf251561e316.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_16//6f/03/6f039aed7f3c5924d02831d37e023227.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_16//61/3e/613e4c1e5c64c477ca88aa2b520aa174.jpg" /></p> <p><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_16//c5/58/c558e5570376b38a84b6dde1a2d41339.jpg" /><img src="http://louisdressner.com/uploads/images/article/2019_Sep_16//d6/4f/d64fc9178f72e1afb335fbd790395773.jpg" /></p>