2003
Vintage 2003 is known as the driest and the most scorched of the century.
High temperatures were recorded beginning in spring, and lasted all summer long. Temperatures never dropped drastically, reaching peaks of above 40 C° both day and night. Due to lack of rain over this roughly three-month period, weather conditions proved adverse. As a result, the vineyard suffered from water-stress, which blocked the photosynthesis process.
The outcome was an imbalance between phenolic and sugar maturities. Since the former remained underdeveloped, the latter went unchecked.
Therefore, Pieropan decided to embrace a countertrend strategy: delaying the grape harvest proved to be an innovative solution. Cool September nights helped
catalyze photosynthesis to end the grapes’ phenolic maturing process.
The conditions that produced Vintage 2003 were certainly difficult, but cultivar Garganega demonstrates considerable adaptability to its environment, even in adverse weather.
Wines derived from this grape are rich and fresh in flavor, thanks to the tartaric acid contained in the genetic schemes of Garganega.
The quality of this vintage is medium.
2004
Fall 2003/2004 begins after the hottest and driest summer of 20th century.
The vine suffers a condition of extreme water deficiency and stress.
Winter is, on average, rainy and snowy with low temperatures more than usual; this condition will remain a feature of this vintage with a few exceptions at the end of season.
Spring begins with mild temperatures and frequent and sometimes quite strong rains: this condition delays all the phenological steps and lengthens the fruit ripening time.
From the end of July begins a period characterized by constant succession of temperatures: weeks strongly warm and then weeks with low temperatures especially in the night.
October is, on the contrary, a return of summer with temperatures above the average.
This warm final part of the season strongly helps sugar and phenolic ripening of the fruit of the Garganega, a late variety. For this reason, Pieropan decides to pick up the grapes later than usually, the harvest ends at the end of October.
Overall, the increase of temperatures excursion and the dry and warm final season, promote the structure, complexity and richness, giving spicy and intriguing notes.
Nel complesso l'aumento delle escursioni termiche e un finale di stagione caldo e secco, favoriscono vini strutturati, ricchi, complessi con un naso speziato e intrigante.
Si è dimostrata un'annata di carattere e longeva.
2005
After a cold and dry winter, it follows a rainy and quite cold spring. May and July are characterized by changes in temperature, these conditions suddenly cause hailstones that, at the beginning of July, hit the vineyards in Soave. The first halfway of August stands out because of its low temperatures and anomalous rains for the season. After 20th of August, temperature raises, but the weather still remains unstable, alternating sunny and rainy days. A fresh and rainy season has excessively developed the vegetation, causing growth of minor shoots (femminelle). That’s why we have done many works of topping and defoliation and thinning has not been necessary because of the hailstone. Low temperature has been a positive feature of the vintage, the production results to be contained and the grapes maturation is gradually completed by maintaining an interesting nose characteristic , but a precarious consistence of the fruit, making it delicate and fragile. For this reason we thought appropriate to not proceed to pick up the grapes addressed for withering of Recioto di Soave. After having pick up Trebbiano di Soave grapes, at the middle of September, we have started to pick up the Garganega grapes for the Soave classic wine by doing a scale harvest according to the maturation. Vinification is done without maceration and the must obtained is clear with a good acidity and rich in mineral salt. The fermentation is done at 19-20°; it is great and regular thanks to a good must nitrogen giving and moreover such a slow and not turbulent fermentation permits and interesting development of floral perfumes and sweet fruits. The pause of the wine on its yeasts is long and after some pourings, wines are clean, already balanced in acid component.
2006
Winter 2006 is very cold and frigid, low temperatures last until Spring. Vegetative awakening is delayed. Flowering is damaged by cold weather, especially in the nights. June and July register warm temperatures and this helps the good development of the bunches. Luckily, the constant rainfalls occurring in the first weeks of August bring to a good veraison. Thanks to this weather condition, it’s possible to recover part of the previous vegetative loss. Spring is cold and not excessively rainy, and leads to a high quality vegetative development: the grapes per bunch are perfectly balanced, in fact thinning interventions and defoliation interventions are limited. The harvest begins in late September: grapes are perfectly healthy, ripe and golden. The pressing , the sedimentation and the fermentation are naturally conducted. The warm temperatures registered in July caused a shortage of floral aromas in the wines, but an increase in ripe fruit aromas. The wines of this vintage are sapid, balanced and rich bodied.
2007
A dry and relatively warm winter meant the vines didn’t have water reserves.
The season started 20 days earlier due to the warm winter temperature.
Spring was dry with very low humidity while June was wet and rainy and the rest of summer
was dry, windy and hot. These ideal conditions meant grapes reached ripeness early (end
of August).
At the end of August a hailstorm hit the vineyards in Soave and Valpolicella, Pieropan
decided to wait until Garganega had reached full ripeness before harvesting.
A very dry and warm September helped fruit to reach good levels of ripeness. The grapes
were picked late, when maximum ripeness was achieved towards the end of October.
2008
As winter 2008 began with sunny, dry and mild days, March was cold and rainy. In Soave, Garganega vineyards sprouted around the end of April because cold temperatures and rain blocked the growing process. Pieropan decided to cover from 20 April onwards. On the contrary, red-berry vineyards situated on the Monte Garzon sprouted at the beginning of April thanks to the spring sun warmth. April and May maintained mild temperatures during the day and cool temperatures during the night. These conditions let the iodine develop, for this reason preserving vineyards’ health was very important. For Garganega, Trebbiano and Corvina grapes situated in Villa Cipolla estate, 2008 vintage was plentiful. On the contrary, on Monte Garzon irregularities in germination were noticed because of a heavy hail in 2007. Rainy days were then registered in May, June and late July. Interventions to reduce blight in the vines were expensive but necessary, considering the steady rain alternated with warm and humid climate. Temperatures in the morning were cooler than usual (12-13 C°) thanks to a drastic temperature range. In July, temperatures were stable, hot and dry. By contrast, in September cold and rainy weather lasted since when an increase of temperature was felt. Grapes’ health was perfect: thick skin and the golden colour were good features in particular of La Rocca grapes. On average, an important recovery of the quality was noticed. The harvest for Amarone and Ruberpan shew good results as well, with balanced quantities of Corvina, Croatina grapes, which used to be problematic and inconstant. In November, late Corvina grapes were picked on Monte Garzon for Ghes wine. Even if this vintage registered critical weather conditions, the final results in terms of quality could be considered positive, thanks to the long-lasting dry autumn 2008.
2009
Vintage 2009 began with a rainy and relatively cold autumn. All over Italy, rain, floods and heavy snowfalls were registered. Rainy weather lasted until mid-September, and then periods of cold, dry and sunny weather lasted through the end of March. Thanks to the rainy autumn, this vintage began early, around 6-8 April, while buds grew quite constantly in the Valpolicella area as well. Pieropan started pinching out the suckers and removing the doubles. In April, warm and rainy periods alternated with cold spells, while in August, the lack of rain made the vineyards to suffer from a slight water-stress. This was resolved thanks to core irrigation interventions. At the end of August, a well-known illness struck Garganega grapes on the flat, cracking berries. This disease put all cultivators in the area on alert, since it limited the grape’s lifespan on the vine, and therefore, had the potential to compromise the quality of the vintage. This illness was due in part to the drastic change of temperature after flowering, but mainly to the high temperatures of August, which blocked the cuticle’s transpiration and caused the skin to break. Pieropan’s vineyards were not considerably affected, since they are situated on the hillside at elevation and enjoy a cooler microclimate than vineyards situated in the flatlands below. From October onwards, ripe grapes enjoyed good levels of sugar contents. The harvest was quickly completed, as 2009 was an early vintage. Wines derived from this vintage were quite mineral, sapid and elegant. The Valpolicella and Amarone, in particular, are rich in spicy notes. The quality of this vintage is good, thanks in part to its ageing potential.
2010
In the first six months of the year, weather was cold and rainy, replenishing this way the groundwater. The mild and temperate spring helped the vegetative growth of the vine with no lack of microelements. Blooming and veraison occurred in mild weather conditions.
Since July temperatures changed considerably and looking for a healthy maturation of the grapes was difficult. However, since half October, Garganega grapes reached a good level of maturation thanks to its sparse bunch, its thick skin and late ripening.
In case of difficult vintages, growing our own vineyards is fundamental, because it may happen to make counter trend and risky decisions to guarantee the high quality of the grapes.
The real task of a Vignaiolo is to give unique results even in adverse vintages, which is possible thanks to a great passion, work, devotion and the respect of the territory. The wines of 2010 were better than expected.
2011
Vintage began with a pretty strong rainy and snowy fall and winter, replenishing the ground water. Spring began in advance and, at the beginning of April, temperatures reached 30 - 31°C. This condition speeded up the maturation of the grapes and then, since mid September, dehydrated the berries increasing the sugar concentration. Summer was warm but with regular rainfalls until August. Temperatures rose over 30°C from the beginning of August until the middle of October.
The harvest started earlier than usual: the grapes for the Recioto and the Amarone were picked in September, followed by the Trebbiano and Garganega.
Harvest finished on 18 October - earlier than usual - thanks to good weather conditions. The grapes were perfectly ripe and healthy.
The production registered a decrease of about 20% due to a manual thinning done in spring and to a strong dehydration of the grapes. The soft pressing helped the wines to maintain full body, good acidity, balance, and white fruits and tropical fruits features. Wines from 2011 vintage were enjoyable and elegant; wide and soft in the palate, typical features of the Pieropan style. The minerality was preserved by the old vineyards potential and by Pieropan’s wine-making skills.
2012
The 2012 vintage was difficult because of the extreme weather conditions, Winter 2012 was the driest of the last 50 years. The first rainfalls were registered in Spring, and enabled a good leaves growing. Bad weather conditions during blossoming reduced the amount of flowers and, consequently, the amount of berries. Since July, dry and hot temperatures reduced the weight of the bunches, and so the production. Both factors reduced the production by 50%. Standard temperatures and rainy weather characterized September. Luckily, Pieropan had decided to pick the grapes for Recioto and Amarone before the rainfalls. This proved to be a right choice, because preserving the health of the grapes’ skin was fundamental for the drying process.
Weather trend in October got better, mainly for the picking of white berries, for Soave wine, and for the red berries, for the Valpolicella. Thanks to good vocation and to dedicated work in the vineyard, Pieropan picked healthy and ripe grapes. Working in the vineyards in 2012 was really hard, mainly because of the bad weather conditions. In the last 30 years such a drastic drop of the production has never been registered.
Vintage 2012 recalls vintage 2008. The wines derived from the vintage 2008 had good characters and were enjoyable, despite bad weather conditions. Thanks to the usage of a pneumatic press, operating with saturation system under nitrogen, Pieropan could maintain the grapes’ freshness and aromas. Thanks to the attentive work in the vineyards and to new technology, the wines derived from this vintage are enjoyable, sapid and elegant.
2013
Autumn 2012 was considerably rainy, hit by frequent rainfalls which obstructed the work in the fields. Winter was enduring, cold and snowy, that was good for water sources.
March and April were still cold and rainy, this brought unease and delay in the vine sprout.
Also May and June were cold and rainy, so preserving vine's health was difficult.
The production was in part compromised by late blight (plasmopora viticola) caused by the frequent rainfalls. A significant imbalance for the production was registered between young vines and old vines, but also between vine and vine. The result was an irregular production, which influenced also the maturation of the grapes.
Since mid June, real summer started. Temperatures reached 35 C° and it rarely rained. Only at the end of August, temperature range fostered the coloring of the berries, with 15 days of maturing delay than the norm. Musts had high acidity levels and low PH levels.
September registered good weather conditions and the the selection of Amarone grapes started, with positive results in ripening and health. Amarone Vigna Garzon 2013 has already strong character and personality, thanks its great natural acidity.
We consider the vintage 2013 a classic vintage, with a perfect balance between alchol and a very clean nose, fragrance and very rich fruity bouquet, which help to match the wine with food.
We think Amarone 2013 can be a wine with long potential ageing.
2014
VINTAGE 2014
Vintage 2014 started with a mild and rainy autumn and winter. Temperatures never reached -0°C and since January weather was mild and dry, warmer than standards. Spring was windy, mild and some hailstones were registered. Summer seemed to never come. June and July were characterized by cold weather and heavy rainfalls: the rainy days were 26/31. This critical weather condition made Pieropan working very hard on the vine to preserve the grapes from diseases. Temperatures got better in the end of August but never reached summer standards.
In September, harvest was done under good weather conditions.
Earlier varieties, such as Trebbiano, were compromised by the weather. However, after a strict selection, Pieropan could dry some part of thegrapes for the Amarone, bur not for the Recioto. Pieropan adapted its vinification interventions considering the unusual vintage's consequences on musts. Wines were enjoyable and aromati, with a good acidity.
VINTAGE 2014 – red wines
Vintage 2014 started with a mild and rainy autumn and winter. Temperatures never reached -0°C and since January weather was mild and dry, warmer than standards. Spring was windy, mild and some hailstones were registered. Summer seemed to never come. June and July were characterized by cold weather and heavy rainfalls: the rainy days were 26/31. This critical weather condition made Pieropan working very hard on the vine to preserve the grapes from diseases. Temperatures got better in the end of August but never reached summer standards.
In September, harvest was done under good weather conditions. The 2014 vintage has been a really challenging vintage. Be an estate that grows own grapes, makes the difference.
Ruberpan 2014 is a result of a several selection of grapes. The result is a wine genuine, clean, elegant with the tipical spicy notes and peppery nose of a Valpolicella. The color is a bit lighter than usual, but is an honest result of a vintage where we had got the least hours of light of the last 50 years. A similar vintage has been the 1965.
With Ruberpan 2014 we have choosen to do some malolactic fermentation to reduce the level of malic acid of the wine.
2015
VINTAGE 2015
The 2014 season has closed with heavy rain which helped to fix the necessary water in the ground for the grown season’s coming.
The winter has been mild and this has a negative effect because it helps to have more develop of fungus and insects, enemies of the wine-
The warm and dry spring with temperature higher than usual it helped to have as homogeneous grown of the shoots and a perfect blossom flower. At the end of may an a heavy hail has hit the Valpolicella’s vineyard and it has reduced the crop of 80%.
The hail has not reduced the quality of the grape because it attached the grape when it was still flower. It this way the effect has been only an a limitation of quantity and not quality. Since middle of June the temperature become high and the weather hot and dry as 2003 vintage. The irrigation became necessary on the vineyards of the hillside to guarantee the final maturation of the fruit. The favorable weather condition helps to maintain the plant healty with limited numbers of spray treatments.
At the end of July the bunches start to change the color, the skin of the grape shows thick and strong.
In mid-September with a good temperature between day and night helps to complete well the grown of the grapes.
At the middle of September harvest starts with Amarone grapes and immediately after recioto’s grapes. The grapes are carefully selected and they show well, health with a string skin,
The harvest period continues with a great weather and Trebbiano and Garganega grapes are picked ripe but also with a good acidity level. The 2015 vintage will be remember as one of the greatest year in particular for red wine. The healthiness, the ripening of the fruit will guarantee also a long ageing potential of the wines from this vintage.
2016
As it happened the years before also this autumn and a part of the winter is mild and dry. On march the soil is dry and this dryness get late the beginning of the season . May and june become very wet with heavy rains and big gap of temperature between day and night .This phenomenon becomes extremily strong in Valpolicella as any high hills and cooler soils. Since middle of june summer starts with his tipical temperatures and rains become more rare. It remains 10-15 days of late and grapes starts to change color only around middle of august thank the good gap of temperature between day and night. The hot and humidity come back an a early part of September and some vineyards high in altitude need some irrigation to complete the ripeness of the fruit.
Harvest starts late, middle of September with Amarone, Recioto selection and Trebbiano di soave; and in October with Garganega grape. Against any general opinion season shows immediately generous with bunches rich of juice. The young wine taste sapid, with a good acidity and a lovely aromatic bouquet. The harvest finish on 28th of October with a good climate condition. This vintage gives wine balanced, elegance and we see a really good potential longevity too. We have considered 2015 a vintage more for red wine with 2016 we think is definetly more for great white wines !!
2017
The 2016 ends with a mild and dry autumn. In March the land are dry and this drought worries. After a warm spring start, at the end of April we have a sudden return of cold and frost that seriously damages the first buds. In Soave, the most affected area is the flat one (Soave doc), while the classic area, which is located on the hills, is not significantly struck. Damages throughout northern Italy are devastating. In May summer comes and the rise in temperatures, followed by the dryness, make the budding very difficult. From June, the first irrigations are necessary to allow the vine some phenological phases, such as the fruit set. Summer is hot, temperatures are high and it rains very little until late August. Irrigation has the only benefit of keeping the plant alive, as water evaporates in a short time. In September, short rains come, accompanied by hail-giant events that fortunately exclude our area. Despite these first rains, the season is one of the driest in the last 50 years and warmer than 2015 and 2003. The harvest of the Trebbiano begins at the end of August, the grapes ripens two weeks in advance than usually. In many areas already in mid-September the harvest of the Garganega grape begins. We begin the harvest in late September and we immediately realize that the dry season has significantly reduced, about the 25-30%, the weight and yield in must. The grapes have reached a fair degree of ripeness, but the too hot has blocked the final phase, therefore we decide to delay the grapes harvest. Maturation with time improves the grapes. The musts have equilibrium problems, therefore more attention is paid to the fermentation process. Despite the high heat, the tartaric component of the Garganega grape preserves a bit of freshness and manages to express a good note of salinity and flavor.
2017 was a difficult year that required a lot of efforts both in the vineyard and in the cellar. The first tastings, however, are encouraging and we expect that this year the wines will be harmonious, balanced and pleasant.
2018
After a few mild autumns and winters, 2018 is rainy and snowy.
Spring is characterized by continuous rains. More work in the vineyards is necessary to balance the plant's health and the vegetative vigor.
Summer is cool until the end of July, then from July onwards the temperatures rise significantly and remain high until the end of August. At the beginning of September heavy rains arrive.
High humidity slightly affects the health of the fruit. Many producers of our area begin the harvest in advance than usual, worried about the fruits health and for the production generosity.
Our harvest begins instead at the end of September to await the complete ripening of the fruit and ends in October. The year 2018 was problematic due to the continuous change of the weather that involved more work in the vineyard and particular attention in the cellar.
From the first tastings we are pleasantly surprised by the harmony and the balance of the wines.
2019
Vintage 2018 ends mild and dry, in February we already record higher temperatures than the seasonal average. As often happens, at the end of April, there is a sudden drop in temperatures and in the night of the 5th May a heavy hail hits some Soave Classico areas. The damages are huge because the buds, just came out, are seriously damaged.
May and part of June are extremely rainy and cold, the temperature are so low that the buds growth is blocked. As a result, the vegetative season starts late, only from mid- June.
After the flowering, the sharp drop in production is evident: bunches are few and the size is smaller.
All summer is characterized by sudden changes of temperature and humidity that determinate a difficult maturation of the fruit.
The harvest starts on the first days of October, the production is poor. The decision is to not produce the wine Recioto di Soave while the wine Amarone della Valpolicella is produced in lower quantities.
The unstable climate conditions that characterized the year 2019, generated significant problems in the vineyard, both of physiological and pathogenic nature.
The mild and short winter, without frosts, which are very important for keeping the soils soft and fertile, doesn’t cause the cleaning action made by bugs pathogenic for the vine, necessary for the plant health.
Despite these considerations, the first tastings of vintage 2019 present a good balance and delicate salinity.
2020
Autumn is rainy and humid until mid-December while winter is quite harsh and dry. With the arrival of spring, Covid also arrives and on March 10, Italy goes into lockdown.
Ironically, spring presents itself as best it could not: bright days due to the absence of pollution from air and road traffic, even the temperatures are typical of the period and until June/July they are never too high and with low humidity, it's been a long time since we've seen a spring like this.
These conditions allow easy management of the vineyard, regular vegetative development, excellent fruit set and no irrigation is required. In August, both temperatures and humidity rise and as a result some hail events occur which strongly affect some wine-growing areas and the city of Verona. Fortunately the Pieropan company was not affected by it, but these weather conditions contribute to delaying the ripening of the fruit, especially in Valpolicella. The course of the 2020 vintage brought the ripening period back to the typical calendar and it is also for this reason that the harvest begins with the Trebbiano di Soave in mid-September, at the end of September for the grapes destined for appassimento (the grapes of Amarone and Recioto and in October for Soave Classico and Valpolicella).
The vintage immediately gives us excellent indications, Trebbiano di Soave is in fact harvested perfectly healthy with a degree of ripeness beyond the average while the Garganega grape, whose harvest begins in October, it is ripe with an excellent must yield. The vintage is good and generous, the green thinning done in spring is essential to contain a production that would have been higher than our production standard. The vintage certainly rewarded elegance and finesse for both La Rocca and Calvarino wines. The quality of this vintage is one of the few things they remember with pleasure about 2020.
2021
Autumn is mild and dry. Starting in December, copious snowfalls begin in the mountains, bringing record quantities of snow to almost all of the Alps.
In our areas, on the other hand, abundant rains arrive which enrich the subsoil water reserves. In January, winter is harsh with temperatures below zero. At the end of March, for a few days of pleasant temperatures, the vegetation begins to move. A sudden return of cold, with temperatures below zero, causes frosts causing damage in the plains.
Our company is not affected, because the vineyards are in the hills and the Garganega variety is late. Spring continues with below average temperatures, causing slow and stunted budding. Summer arrives in June with high temperatures, the vines go into water stress; emergency irrigation is necessary in some vineyards. The flowering of the fruit is affected by the variability of the climate, the bunches are smaller than the average and with a lower number of berries. Too high temperatures and the total absence of rain affect fruit setting. July is variable with rain and hail. The milder temperature allows the plant to complete budding. Summer weather becomes more stable. The end of the season is dry and windy, this climatic condition guarantees the grapes optimal ripening.
The harvest begins in mid-September with the Trebbiano di Soave and then the selection of the grapes for the Recioto di Soave and for the Amarone takes place. At the end of September the harvest of the Garganega grape and the Valpolicella grapes begins. From October the nights are cold, the temperature range is important and the ripening and quality of the fruit improve. The grapes from the most suitable vineyards are harvested later. The 2021 vintage is of excellent quality, with a 25% less harvest than in 2020. The fundamental characteristic of this 2021 was the regularity of the climatic trend and an excellent balance of yield and grape quality. 2021 has all the requisites to become an excellent vintage.
2022
The 2022 vintage was characterized by a winter without significant rainfall, both snowy and rainy, and mild temperatures that led to an early but always dry spring. The temperatures of the first spring months were above average and this situation of scarcity, almost no rainfall and high temperatures lasted until the month of August.
In the summer months we then witnessed prolonged waves of extreme heat which exacerbated the evo-transpiration rates of the plant. This has led to a situation of water stress, mainly in hilly areas, where both the scarcity of substrate and the drainage capacity of the soil have made irrigation vital. The budding was slow due to the shortage of water in the spring, partial in some cases. The setting was poor, with sparse bunches, which accentuates a lack of product and weight.
This is more marked in early varieties such as Trebbiano, which was affected by the vintage. The Garganega, thanks to the rains of August and September, only partially recovered as the rains were not such as to make up for the water deficit. The plants finish the final stages of grape ripening in water suffering In our Valpolicella, on the other hand, the situation is a bit different, undoubtedly due to a more favorable climatic condition. The grapes are ripe, with low yields but in any case the position of the vineyard and its altitude have meant that the product is optimal from the point of view of the ripening parameters.
We report an optimal state from a phytosanitary point of view of the grapes. As far as the finished product is concerned, it is still premature to say anything, it will certainly be slightly scarcer in terms of quantity.