Solaia - Toscana IGT 2000

Solaia - Toscana IGT 2000

The favorable weather patterns at the beginning of spring favored an early budding of one week for the various varieties. All through the spring we had excellent weather, warm temperatures and the right amount of rain, resulting in excellent flowering and the relative vegetal cycle. This optimal vegetative balance of the vines in full ripening between the end of July and the beginning of August, about 7 to 10 days earlier than usual. The excessive heat wave around mid August, lasting only a week, did not slow down maturation, and the first grapes gathered immediately promise of an excellent vintage. Due to the early ripening of the grapes, we began our "green harvest" just after mid-August, selecting and thinning to eliminate any excessive production. In conclusion, the early harvest coupled with a rainless period of picking allowed us to bring in excellent mature grapes. The grapes from the Solaia vineyard, which are always severely selected, were among the last to be harvested (starting September 25 for the Cabernets and the Sangiovese a week later). The grapes were vinified separately and new methods were used which guarantee a very soft processing. Maceration took place in 50 hectoliter open wooden fermentors with periodic cap submersion for better extraction of color, complexity and tannins. During this time (15 days for the Sangiovese and 20 days for the Cabernets), the wine obtained its alcoholic fermentation at a temperature never exceeding 30 ° C. The wine was then transferred into 225 liter, and the olres barrels (new Troncais and Alliers), where malolactic fermentation was terminated by the year's end. The wines were then racked, blended and then returned to the barrels for about 14 months aging, after which time they were bottled and aged for a further 12 months before release.