With the harvest now over and the freshly fermented musts resting safely in the cellar, I finally have a moment to look back and share a few thoughts about this vintage.
At last — a beautiful year that brought real satisfaction, and one I can write about with genuine enthusiasm!
Weather and climate: sun, hail, and just enough rain
The winter of 2024–2025 passed without much drama: mild temperatures, just a few weeks of colder weather, and — yet again — no snow.
A pity, really. I like snow. It gives me the feeling that nature resets itself, that the spores of fungal diseases die off, and that the next year begins with a clean slate. Maybe next time, who knows.
Spring, on the other hand, brought generous rainfall. I have to admit, after the disastrous 2023 season, I was a bit paranoid about the return of downy mildew. Luckily, from June onward the sun took over — along with real summer heat.
At the beginning of July, a brief but intense hailstorm hit, mostly damaging the lower rows of vines. Several berries were affected, but at that pre-veraison stage, their skins are still quite tough: the vines simply let the injured berries shrivel and continued ripening the rest of the bunch without issues.
The rest of July went by smoothly — warm but not extreme, with pleasant temperature drops at night. August brought back the heat for a couple of weeks, then cooler, more balanced days returned. Rainfall was never excessive, and the vines never experienced water stress.
September: the moment of truth
September was mostly stable, though a bit unpredictable toward the end.
We harvested the Merlot for our IGT Monteficalle in mid-month, as usual, since it ripens much earlier than Sangiovese. Forecasts were showing the arrival of a storm front, but it was preceded by a week of sun and unusually high late-September temperatures.
Many producers decided to harvest during that warm window — but we chose to take a risk.
We wanted to make the most of those sunny days to push phenolic ripeness to the limit, so we waited. We started picking Sangiovese (along with Canaiolo and Colorino) on the very last sunny day, under a blazing summer sky, gathering the grapes for our Gran Selezione and Riserva.
The following day the sky turned gray and threatening. We continued with most of the grapes destined for the Chianti Classico until the storm finally forced us to stop.
After two days of rain, we had to wait again — for a bit of sun and wind to dry the clusters — and then rushed through another half day to finish the Sangiovese and, right after, the Cabernet.
We closed the last day of harvest in the rain, with mud making it impossible to bring the tractor between the rows. That meant carrying the heavy crates by hand — muddy boots, soaked clothes, and plenty of exhaustion. A true final sprint!
A great team, a great vintage
Luckily, we had an incredible team: nearly thirty people working during the three main harvest days. Everyone stayed strong to the very end, even wet and chilled, with an energy that filled us with pride.
Of course, we made sure to keep spirits high at lunchtime — Daniele outdid himself with his cooking, and our wines did the rest.
Now that everything is safely in the cellar, I can say I’m truly happy with the result.
A vintage with moderate alcohol levels, good acidity, and — I’m convinced — great potential for elegance and longevity.
Exactly the kind of style I love.
Make sure to set aside a few bottles of this 2025 vintage when it’s released — Chianti Classico in two years, the other wines in three.
It will be worth the wait.