Piedmont 2017 Vintage Report

If there is a vintage that epitomises the dedication and brilliance of Piedmont’s current generation of wine producers, then it is surely 2017. It was a year that may live long in the memory for the growers; the season was challenging, to say the least, but through adversity they triumphed. Whilst not nearly as profound or homogenous as 2016, this is a very good vintage that yielded some really attractive wines; Barolo and Barbarescos that will give a lot of pleasure early in their life and age well over the next decade. This really is a huge credit to the quality and consistency of winemaking in the Langhe these days.

Whilst many recall a hot summer, this was certainly no 2003. The high temperatures were less extreme and less persistently high in 2017. The warning signs that this was not going to be any easy ride came early in the season. A mild spring advanced the vines, only for a bout of frost to strike in the third week of April; a particularly unusual outbreak that attacked not only lower sites, but those on the slopes, too. Luckily, damage was not too significant. The year’s biggest challenge was without question, drought. From the beginning of the year rainfall was consistently below the average of the previous decade. There was enough, at least, to semi-replenish below ground water reserves, but from the very beginning of August onwards not a drop of rain fell until November - bar two vital days at the beginning of September. This rain and the cooler temperatures that came with it were crucial to revive the vine and allow ripening to extend and continue. The Nebbiolo harvest began in the middle of September and everything was picked by the end of the month. Extraordinarily early, but not as early as it could have been had the cooler weather not arrived. This natural intervention, together with growers by now well-versed in managing vines during such an intense summer periods, saved the vintage.

Canopy management was crucial, particularly shading the grape bunches; green harvests on over productive vines was vital to lighten the load on thirsty vines; date and rapidity of picking was more crucial than ever, with growers deciding to anticipate harvest to favour fruit freshness and integrity over pushing phenolic ripeness and alcohol further. And finally in the cellar, extractions were much lighter, shorter and more gentle than usual and many producers shortened ageing in wood by up to 6 months.

2017 may be remembered by Piedmont’s growers wearily, but it was a year they showed the world their skill and resilience.