Climate trend

Difficult vintages are said to reveal the true potential of the best terroirs, and never has this been more true than in the 2017 vintage in Montalcino. The winter was mild and very dry, as was the spring. This led to budding about two weeks earlier than normal. The frost that hit the area in the middle of April caused enormous damage across much of Europe, but thanks to the location of San Polo’s vineyards, with their southern exposure, 450-metre altitude and abundant air circulation, our vines suffered no damage. The summer that followed was marked by elevated temperatures and almost no rainfall, which created difficult conditions for the vines. Again, at this stage, we were able to appreciate the advantages of a particularly well-suited vine growing area, which treated us to daytime breezes and excellent day-night temperature variations, creating conditions that relieved the vines, which showed no symptoms of drought or heat-related stress. The rain that fell between the end of August and the beginning of September, not only restored the land’s water reserves, but it also gave the final ‘go ahead’ for the most important stage in the ripening of Sangiovese, the last month before harvesting.

Vintage rating