Gaja Conteisa Barolo 2018 Magnum

Winter 2018 was mild and dry, without snow and rainfall, followed by a very rainy and cold spring. A unique peak of heat occurred at the end of April, leading to an early bud break; then, rains and temperatures below the average continued across April, May, and June, slowing down the entire growing season. In particular, between May 1st and June 14th, rains fell over for 24 days, making our effort in the vineyards particularly intense and complicated. The summer was less rainy (40-50 mm) than spring but required significant attention and care against powdery mildew. Unfortunately, A bad hail storm hit Barbaresco on Sunday, July 17th; several vineyards got hurt, all with different intensity, and only a few were saved (Roncaglie, Roncagliette, and Trifulera). September 2018 was sunny, fresh, and windy, with great temperature exchanges between day and night, which permitted the grapes to continue their ripening season. The harvest started at the end of August with Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. Due to the quite humid and mild vintage Nebbiolo harvest was expected to be delayed, however, two hot weeks in mid-September made the grapes to ripe faster, shortened picking times, which finished on October 8th. Despite the hailstorm causing damage to some vineyards in Barbaresco, those in the Barolo area (La Morra and Serralunga d’Alba) showed an excellent ripeness of grapes, with high acidity, low pH and balanced sugar concentration. Overall, they were characterized by a balanced proportion between flesh and thick skins, high levels of ripe and soft tannins, and intense and complex aromas and flavours.