Cristina Mariani-Mayowner of the renowned Castello Banfi winery in Montalcino, is preparing with her team of oenologists for one of the Brunello di Montalcino vintages most interesting and challenging in recent years.
"The weather variations of the past months have given us unexpected conditions," says Cristina Mariani-May. "The short, but intense, heatwave has had the effect of reducing production, so we now need to pay special attention and care both in the vineyard and in the cellar. Our continuous research and our perseverance in the search for excellence allow us to cope with adverse conditions while maintaining very high quality standards, both for our Brunellos di Montalcino and our SuperTuscans'.
Brunello Harvest 2011: For Castello Banfi, selection is the key to success
The 2011 vintage started late, with a cool spring and abundant rainfall. Temperatures below seasonal averages continued until July, but from mid-August until the beginning of September, the effects of the anticyclone over the African continent brought temperatures well above 38 degrees Celsius. Sufficient water resources were available to the vines, avoiding stress. However, in those vineyards where the grapes were most exposed, the scorching sun literally burnt the grapes.
These conditions are radically different from the great heat of 2003, and also from the tendentially cold weather of 2002: this vintage is more like the 2000 harvest, which started similarly with generally cooler weather followed by a momentary, but intense, rise in temperatures during August.
"We finished the white harvest last week, with a sudden reduction in yield from 30% to 40%," said Cristina Mariani-May. "This week we started the harvest of Merlot and Syrah: the key was the hand picking of the grapes, and this method will be even more vital in the coming weeks, as we start the harvest of the sensitive Sangiovese. In general, we have to carefully select the grapes in the vineyards, and then check them again when they arrive at the winery'.
Hand-picked grapes
Since the birth of Castello Banfi in 1978, the grapes in the vineyards for the production of the most important wines were always harvested by hand. In 2007, however, a double triage was added to the selection of the grapes in the cellar: an initial, general manual control of the bunches arriving at the winery, followed by an individual selection of the destemmed grapes, and then completed with a further optical screening, which carries out weight and density tests. The selected grapes are then vinified separately in individual Horizon fermenters, composite vats made of stainless steel and French oak, developed and patented by Castello Banfi with the objective of obtaining the best from both materials used. Castello Banfi, in collaboration with the universities of Pisa and Milan, has conducted research aimed at isolating a selection of excellent Sangiovese clones capable of producing an exceptional Brunello di Montalcino.
"We would have preferred to have favourable weather conditions like in 2001, 2004, 2007 and 2009," said Cristina Mariani-May, "but decades of research have prepared us to deal with the vagaries of nature, and our team knows how to deal with vintages like these.
Castello Banfi, a winery owned by the Mariani family, was awarded Best Italian Winery 12 times at Vinitaly for having managed to combine entrepreneurship, high quality, technological innovation and tradition, always with the utmost respect for the territory, in the thirty years of its history. The first winery to obtain Ethical, Social and Environmental Responsibility (ISO 14001 and SA 8000) and Product and Service Quality and Customer Respect (ISO 9001:2000) certifications. The medieval castle overlooking the vineyards has become a key point of Tuscan hospitality with its wine bar, La Taverna restaurant, Il Borgo boutique hotel and glass museum.
