The general consensus throughout Europe is that 2012 was by no means an average year. Bud break arrived relatively early, which we witnessed with our own eyes in North-Western Italy when we were visiting after Vinitaly the last week of March, and as such some vineyards were affected by frost damage. Subsequently most of Europe received an unusual amount of rain in the spring followed by an unusual lack of rain and unusually high temperatures during the summer months. For those without irrigation, the lack of rain for 4 months caused stress to the vines, so when it began to rain again in early September, the producers expressed overall relief, saying that they were pleased to see the vines reinvigorated by the rainfall. With the rain also came cooler temperatures which served to slow down the ripening process, a welcome reprieve. Periods of rain continued through the harvest months and producers had to contend with difficult decisions about when to pick and how to avoid mildew issues. Many of the producers we have spoken to were left with lower yields but were pleased with the quality of the grapes. The variable year will no doubt lead to variability in the resulting wines, but it is often the true test of a winemaker to be able to make great wine in a difficult vintage so we look forward to discovering the successes of the vintage.
Piemonte
Anna Maria Abbona - Dogliani:
September 28, 2012: “We are now in harvest for the Barbera for Il Cadò and the Nebbiolo. Next week we finish everything. We think it is a good year, even if the quantity was reduced a little (8 to 10 percent). Yesterday we harvested the Riesling we grafted in April 2011. It’s incredible that they already have good production and lots of vegetation!”
Sergio Germano, Ettore Germano - Serralunga:
September 26, 2012: “The harvest now is really good, we had Alta Langa, very complex, nice acidity (our soil and altitude of Cilgiè keep a good freshness). The Dolcetto is in the end of fermentation and is showing ripe and fresh fruit, light tannin, but full body. We will finish tomorrow the Barbera, 25 brix sugar, ripe acidity, nice color, and promise for a wonderful wine. Friday I will check the Riesling, it is good now and I think ready for picking next week. The Nebbiolo now is fantastic, good sugar and the color and tannin quit ripe, probably also ready next week to start picking.”
Cristiano Garella, Tenute Sella - Northern Piedmont:
December 3 2012: “As usual in the last few years, 2012 saw an early bud-break, followed by fairly slow vegetative growth caused by a decrease in temperature, to as low as 32°F. During the flowering, temperatures were low and there was a lot of rainfall, causing a considerable reduction in the number of bunches, particularly for the Croatina variety. During June and July the temperatures were very high, as in 2011, and my concern was that we would have another rich, fruity and less elegant vintage. Unfortunately, as almost always happens in northern Piedmont, this period of vegetative growth coincided with a number of hailstorms (at least 4 in Lessona and 3 in Bramaterra).
By the 10th of September it was clear that much of the fruit was ready to be harvested, and I decided to harvest quite early so as to preserve aromas and freshness, and to keep the alcohol level moderate. On September 13th we started harvesting Erbaluce from our Bramaterra property and the vineyard in Lessona; the grapes were very healthy, if scarce, and had good balance between acidity and alcohol. After 2 days of pre-fermentation cold maceration we started a slow fermentation, lasting 26 days at 55-60°F. On September 14th we harvested Vespolina from Lessona, and on the 15th the Nebbiolo from San Sebastiano allo Zoppo (which at the beginning of fermentation had a potential alcohol of 13.9%, and 8.9 g/L of total acidity). The following week we continued with the Nebbiolo from our new property in Brusnengo, and the Porfidi vineyard in Bramaterra. In general the fermentations were slow and not too hot (peaking at about 80°F), without the need for frequent pumpover or rack-and-return.
From 20-24 September, after a few days of rain, we picked the Nebbiolo for our Rosé; this year we gave the fruit an average of 28 hours of cold maceration, using dry ice to control temperature, then a cold fermentation for about 22 days. The aromas of the fruit seemed excellent, even with the potential alcohol being slightly higher than usual (12.84%); unfortunately the rapid extraction of color forced us to shorten the maceration. As we had planned, the proportion of the must coming from saignée was reduced still further this year, to only 5% of the total.
The harvest then continued as usual with the Barbera for Orbello, the remaining Nebbiolo from Bramaterra, and finally (on October 17th) the Cabernet Sauvignon for Orbello. In general the macerations were steady, continued for as long as 45 days for the healthiest grapes.
At this moment (12/2012) the wines from 2012 seem very interesting, much more so than 2011, fine, elegant, and generally very expressive.”
Mario Andrion, Castello di Verduno:
November 21, 2012: “A very long harvest! We had almost one month and a half of picking! We started with the Pelaverga piccolo grapes for the sparkling at the beginning of September, we pass through Pelaverga for the white vinification ,dolcetto, Pelaverga for red, Barbera, Nebbiolo, Barbaresco and we were done with Barolo at the 16th October! Incredibly low crop but…who cares? All outstanding wines!” Mario was kind enough to share this vintage report from the Cornsorzio di Tutela Barolo Barbaresco Alba Langhe e Roero, read it here.
Alto Adige
Peter Pliger, Kuenhof Estate - Val d’Isarco:
October 24, 2012: “The 2012 harvest we finished October 12th and now it is all in fermentation. The Autumn is similar to 2011. For the moment we cannot say anything about the vintage, we will know later when the wine is more mature.”
We also received a vintage report from the Conorzio Vini Alto Adige, read it here.
Gerhard Sanin, wine maker of Erste+Neue:
December 17 2012: “I can describe the 2012 vintage as good to very good. The grape harvest was healthy and of a high quality. Especially the Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc) and Sauvignon varieties were of particularly outstanding quality.
The shoots appeared on the vines very early in spring 2012 – in the last week of March. Fortunately the temperature slowed the vegetation process during blossoming, compensating for this premature activity. The low temperatures during the blossoming of the vines also caused coulure, in particular for white varieties such as Sauvignon, Weissburgunder, Gewürztraminer, with the grapes weighing some 25-30% below the multi-year average.
At the end of April the first Peronospora infection was seen: this mould could however be held in check with relatively little treatment. The year 2012 was difficult as regards the spraying of mildew, with repeated and frequent application of sulphur preparations unfortunately required to combat the oidium.
Harvesting of the Pinot Gris and Chardonnay grapes began at the end of August. Their perfect health allowed us to wait for the optimal ripening time before harvesting from the cru locations. Minimal precipitation during the white wine harvest meant no reduction in quality, as the grapes were already fully ripe. The Weissburgunder 2012 is my personal favourite, with elegance, fullness and an intensive aroma that recalls a whole crate of ripening apples. The Kalterersee Vernatsch grapes had good sugar levels and a very good ripeness. I find the 2012 Kalterersee pleasantly rounded, with very clear, fruity aromas. Towards the middle of October it rained a good deal (some 80 mm), but the good health of the red grapes allowed us to wait a little longer with the harvest and yet bring dry grapes into our cellars.
Finally, I can say that, although the 2012 vintage offered rather less in terms of quantity, the wines themselves had an intensive fruitiness typical of their variety. The harvested grapes were very healthy, while the wines produced were elegant and pure in nature. I believe that this vintage once more clearly shows off the typical varietal characteristics of South Tyrolean wines, which are undoubtedly differentiated by their fruit, elegance, juiciness and ease of drinking.”
Lazio
Claudia Hausen Puccini, Casale Marchese:
“The 2012 harvest will be remembered as one of the earliest and most limited in terms of quantity of the last years. After a rather regular start of the season, alternating hot and cold weather during spring, we had seven African anticyclones in a row that have taken a heavy toll on the 2012 vintage and in some ways also had a positive effect on it. The heat and the lack of rainfall, combined with careful management in the field, blocked the onset of traditional diseases of the vine. At harvest, therefore, grapes are healthy and with a good sugar content.
The considerable soil fertility of the area, as well as the accumulation of water during winter significantly contribute to the completion of the vegetative cycle of the vine. There are no particular physiological imbalances. In this particular year, in fact, the vine shows its maximum adaptability, overcoming critical moments that instead have seriously compromised the outcome of other important crops.
The reduction in production, between 10% and 20%, coincides with the arrival of the new regulations for the DOCG "Frascati Superiore" 2012, which provide for a reduction of the maximum production of grapes per hectare from 14,000 kg to 11,000 kg.
At the moment it seems that the white wine will be of excellent quality, with a moderate freshness and a certain olfactory potential. There is also great optimism regarding our reds, for which we foresee a good quality level.”
Campania
Vincenzo di Meo, La Sibilla - Campi Flegrei:
October 30, 2012: “The 2012 grape harvest was a rough road, difficult, sometimes discouraging and full of worry, winding up in the end with unexpected success! Abundant spring rains and a dry summer had led to high hopes. The absence of frequent rains and the good temperature range were ideal conditions for the fight against vine infestations and operations were reduced to a minimum. But in mid August the lack of rain for almost 4 months transformed into a very worrisome phenomena, drought and water stress that threatened the development of the bunches, which remained small and malnourished. Then, in the first two weeks of September started raining transforming the wheat yellow colour into Irish green and nature suddenly reawakened, feeding the bunches and making them swell. Such an immediate reaction I have never seen before. The grape harvest was moved forward slightly and began on 12 September 2012, ending on 13 October. Manual harvest have been made by Nonno Sasà, Luigi, James, Peppino, Michele with the precious help of Marie. Midway through grape harvesting we were pleased with the good quality, but concerned by a reduction of certain vines of up to 30% the normal quality (the same happened in 2011 harvest). However the oldest Falanghina and Piedirosso vines, harvested last and which had reacted best to the drought, recovered and we can show an overall lower quantity of 15%, but with truly excellent quality. Given the circumstances we are quite pleased!”
Sicilia
Ciro Biondi - Mount Etna:
October 8, 2012: “This year we had a very cold winter and the amount of snow on Etna was phenomenal. So much so that ski lifts couldn’t work for few days! As there are so many underground rivers, one theory we have, which we could put down to such a good harvest is that the vines were well irrigated by the elevated amount of water from the melting snow. The Spring was mild and there was little rain. Thereafter it only rained on the 23rd of July and on one day in September for a few hours. There were only 3 treatments carried out in the vineyards.The first on the 10th of May with sulfur, the second in June, and one in early August. Despite the really hot summer, the grapes did not suffer the drought and the production was even more than in 2011. The babbo of the red was between 19,5° and 21° and the total acidity about 7,5 and the ph 3,25. The vinification area of the new cellar is not temperature controlled, but during the fermentation we managed to keep the temperature of the must down to between 24° - 32° for the reds.The white "Chianta" fermented in the barrels at 19°, which was the temperature of the cellar, and took 9 days to go down to 0° of babbo.”
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