In Spring 2019, budding, along with the initiation of shoot growth, took place within the norm, between the end of March and early April. This was, however, followed by a particularly cold and rainy month of May which drastically slowed down vine growth and resulted in delayed flowering; this took place at the end of May for the early-ripening varietals, up to June 10th for the late-ripening reds. Consequently, the phases of veraison and maturation were also delayed by about one month but partially recovered thanks to the July heat, thereby bringing the harvest to its normal timeframe.
The abundant rainfall in May, which followed a dry winter, was instrumental in creating water reserves in the soil, thereby avoiding any type of hydric stress in the vines despite the hot, dry summer.
The harvest was particularly long; it began on August 23rd with the varietals for our spumante base, followed by early-ripening whites and closing the month of August with the Chardonnay for Aurente. September was characterized by wide diurnal ranges and a dry heat which favoured long ripening times for the Torre di Giano white grapes (Grechetto, Vermentino and Trebbiano) that therefore reached the winery with significantly higher sugar levels than in 2018 and perfect acidity levels.
The Sangiovese harvesting for Rubesco Riserva Vigna Monticchio began between the end of September and early October with impeccably healthy grapes of excellent quality. The vineyards higher on the hills experienced earlier ripening; thus, at the end of the first week of October we picked the Sangiovese for classic Rubesco from the mid-hill vineyards, which produced wines that are pleasant, fresh with fruit and with generous acidity.
The 2019 harvest was wrapped up in mid-October with the picking of Sagrantino grapes in Montefalco, confirming a positive and particularly rewarding vintage.