Here in La Langhe it is hot, very hot! The day temperatures are touching 40°C but, in the hills, the nights are fairly cool and well ventilated.

In the vineyard: We have had a cool spring with sufficient precipitation that, together with the snows of winter, have brought a good reserve to the water table. Because of this, our vines are not suffering unduly. The dry and hot weather of this summer greatly reduces the risk of infestations, thus we are able to limit the number of treatments using copper sulphate, not only better for the vines, but also less contamination, labour and cost. The only negative note is that the sun is actually burning some of the grapes on the outside of the most exposed bunches. This will result in a small drop in quantity and a more laborious selection during harvest, which, at the moment, we anticipate will be around 10 days earlier than normal.

In the wine cantina: The wines from the new vintages were bottled in July — Dolcetto d’Alba 2014, Barbera d’Alba 2013, Langhe Nebbiolo 2013, Barolo 2011. They are all well balanced and reflect the tipicity of the vintage and the grape varieties as well as the terrain that nourished them.

There are two important notes regarding this latest release: 1) For the first time, we have matured Langhe Nebbiolo 2013 in 1000 litres Slavonian oak barrels (previously we always matured in used 225 litre barrels made from French oak). This will contribute, we believe, to greater elegance and finesse; 2) For Barolo 2011, after its usual 24 month maturation in large 2500 litre botte made from Slavonian oak, there has been a further passage of 12 months in vasche di cimento — cement vats (previously this final period of maturation took place in stainless steel). We believe that this contributes to an improvement in harmony and balance, intensifying more immediately both aroma and character.