Harvest 2019 in Piemonte: what can you expect?
Posted on: 29-09-2019 om 10:56:37
| Karina Imschoot
Year 2019 in Piemont: what can you expect?
We can say that it is an "ordinary" vintage. At least, that's how it develops: the air has brought more sun and heat, even though some rain is predicted and especially the considerable drop in temperature. The hailstorms struck early September in a very local way. The situation was critical in some places, but in the rest of the area the ripening is very regular. It is clear that every winemaker hopes not to have any more hailstorms now that the harvest is a concrete fact, also because this is a new situation: in the past, in September, these weather conditions have not occurred. The result of a climate that has changed its connotations, voluntarily or otherwise.
As far as the current harvest is concerned, the Langa and the Roero are currently divided, not only because the Tanaro is in between them. To the right of the river, the winemakers' attention goes to Dolcetto, which is still one of the most important varieties. On the other side of the river, the winegrowers are mainly engaged in harvesting the Arneis. In both cases other varieties require attention: in the Langhe the harvest of some white grapes (Riesling, Sauvignon, Favorita and in some cases also Nascetta) is almost complete; in the Roero there is also Favorita that requires attention. The heat of the last ten days has helped in the further step towards the ripening of the grapes, even the late ones (Barbera and Nebbiolo), the general condition of which promises to be promising. It has already been discussed, but repetita juvant.
As is often the case, this vintage also has a number of characteristics that can be distinguished: the discrepancy in the situation between the vines, between one vineyard and another and between one region and another. It will be difficult to make a clear judgement; secondly, the yield per hectare: the results of the first vines appear to be a lower yield than in 2018, but also compared to the average of recent years. Many species have bunches that are smaller or lighter on average.
And this fact would generally come from a lower number of grapes on the same bunch. The lower quantitative yield awakens the markets. And then there is the qualitative aspect: 2019 will probably not be remembered as an exceptional wine year, but it will certainly offer a very good quality, with one aspect in mind, namely the clear balance between structure and richness of smell that is indicated by the first wines obtained.
What preceded before harvest?
The leaded air from the beginning of September struck again. It had already happened a few years ago and had focused mainly on the prestigious hill of Cannubi in Barolo. This time the area was not Cannujbi and the damage seems to be significant, but localized, also because some grapes were close to the harvest - Such an event was not welcome, also because the abrupt interruption of the summer and the introduction of the more autumnal climate can lead to a dripping rainfall, with damage and problems even for the grapes not affected by the hail. The situation of uncertainty also threatens to jeopardise the dynamics of the markets and the economic quotations of the grapes, which already showed some uncertainty.
The market situation seems to be more than a slowdown and there is a feeling that much depends on the abundance of the 2018 harvest, which probably had little effect on high-end wines, while it seems delayed in deliveries and withdrawals of basic wines - especially those related to the Piedmont DOC and some grape varieties,such as Dolcetto.
In this regard, there are also cases in the Alba region of companies that reduce their purchase volumes of grapes and this could lead to an increase in free production on the market, with negative effects on the prices of the grapes themselves. However, this effect cannot stop, but may also have a negative impact on the prices of bulk wines as from the wine year 2019, with consequent effects on the prices of the previous year and on the value of stocks, with consequent consequences for the various bottlers.
In some cases (again Dolcetto), after the fresh air of the last two or three harvests, a further fall in prices would be a blow and could speed up the abandonment of a variety that has already lost several hundred hectares in Piedmont in recent years. With regard to Dolcetto - grapes and wine - this may lead to a further reduction in vineyards and thus to a further deterioration of a product that has strong links with the Piedmontese tradition and wine-growing and oenological biodiversity. Dolcetto with "dolce" in the name and far from sweet, which means "dolce", is not an easy product to distribute internationally. This wine requires a lot of work, almost as much as a Barolo certainly in recent years, but yields much less.
Do you want to discover a very top Dolcetto Superiore from a local producer who also makes top Barolo with 94 points of Kerin O'Keefe, so someone who knows what he is doing and has done a very successful expedition Dolcetto on Barriques, vintage 2015 where the local wine connoisseurs are very fond of the grape "Dolcetto"?
Dolcetto Superiore dell’Alba Ciabot Brusà 2015
Dolcetto Superior of the Alba Ciabot Brusà 2015
Understand very well what makes this wine so unique by going through the technical information sheet. A Dolcetto is a wine that should be drunk young, but this wine is by adding the 5% of a storage wine immediately very unique in taste.