Tasting notes

The 2017 Valmaggiore is characterized by a nose of red fruits with licorice and cola. The wine is delicate and shows great typicity of the vine. In the mouth, there is an initial burst of sweetness framed around the expressive red fruit.

Excellent tannin and acidity help balance the vibrant and ripe red fruit flavors of cherries and cranberries. This is a generous, open and sweet expression of the Valmaggiore. The finish is balanced and ripe, ending with a distinct mineral note. 

Ratings for the vintage 2017

Wine Advocate 92 points
Vinous 92 points 
James Suckling 91 points
Wine Spectator 90 points 
Wine Enthusiast 92 points
Falstaff 93 Punkte 
Kerin O'Keefe 92 points
Wines Critic 91 points

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Evolution of the vintage 2017

"Warm and dry" are the best words to briefly and clearly describe the 2017 vintage. Alleviating the heat were the excellent diurnal temperature shifts that brought cool air during the night, which provided a little relief to the vines even in the hottest days of July and August.

The mild winter led to early bud break. But, in an atypical return of cold in mid-April, the vegetative cycle was slowed by very cold temperatures which which even brought frost to the valley floors. During the periods of pre-flowering and flowering, the cold clearly determined the formation of the grape bunches, leading to looser bunches with better internal air circulation. After May 16 the vegetative cycle was defined by the hot, dry weather that remained until the end of August. The high-pressure zone that formed over Europe for the entire summer led to early maturation.

The summer, warm and dry but with good diurnal temperature shifts, defined the ripening of the grapes. In particular, the veraison was very early, even compared to other early vintages. Starting from the first week in September, temperatures dropped appreciably, and growing patterns were nearer seasonal averages, with considerable differences between day and night temperatures. This situation was further helped by the polyphenolic profile of the red wine grapes with a medium-long vegetative cycle, such as Nebbiolo and Barbera, for which the data differed to those recorded in other "hot" vintages. As a matter of fact, the values observed this year are better in terms of both quantity - accumulation of anthocyanins and tannins - and extractability, an essential factor in wines for ageing.
In short, the cycle was early this year, but the vine was able in any case to enjoy a full development cycle.

The lower yield recorded in the vineyard is in keeping with a year in which there was sparse rainfall.
Based on recorded data, this vintage can certainly be remembered as one of the earliest of recent years, given that the picking of the Nebbiolo grapes began in the middle ten days of September, and ended early in October, around two weeks earlier than the norm.

The 2017 vintage has given us wines showing great promise considering the fears of the beginning of summer, confirming once more how well-suited and well-equipped the hills of the Langhe are for winegrowing.

Harvest took place from September 14th until 23rd.