THREE STARS TO THE 2014 GRAPE HARVEST
21/02/2015
The ceremony to assign the stars to the grape harvest was held this morning
For oenologist Paolo Vagaggini, “it will be another interesting vintage”
Montalcino, 21 February 2015 – The cold, rainy summer made it obvious right from the start that the harvest was going to be complicated, but the meticulous and even more specific selection carried out by the producers improved the quality of the grapes and the 2014 harvest earned itself a well-deserved three stars.
«The 2014 harvest took us 30 years back in time, to between the end of the 70s and the beginning of the 80s, when the grapes were brought into the cellar at the end of September and the harvest continued until the last ten days of October – said the Chairman of the Consortium, Fabrizio Bindocci. As far as quality is concerned, there is no doubt that the high level of acidity in the grapes and even, albeit slow, ripening allow us to be fairly optimistic as to how good the bottled wine is going to be».
The optimism of the Consortium Chairman is also confirmed by the words of Paolo Vagaggini, oenologist of national acclaim and one of the world’s greatest experts on Sangiovese, who took part this morning in the ceremony to assign the stars to the grape harvest, «not everything went well at meteorological level and the success of the 2014 vintage was really down to the producers of Brunello di Montalcino, and their ability to turn the atmospheric adversities to their favour. Most of the winegrowers reacted promptly and professionally, and the results were comforting. The meticulous and careful selection of healthy grapes was essential; vinification then played a very important role, with gentle and delicate extractions. The 2014 wines are elegant, not potent but very balanced, unsuitable for very long ageing but ideal for decidedly pleasing consumption. For the majority of the producers, we can say: it will be another interesting vintage».