Solaia - Toscana IGT 2008

Solaia - Toscana IGT 2008

The growing season was a little too cold, and the weather was not so good. Spring, and the first vegetation, saw the appearance of extremely adverse meteorological conditions, with abundant and continuous rainfall until the end of May which caused a slowing of plant growth, a slowing which, nonetheless, did not have harmful effects on vine health. June and July, instead, were warm and dry, while in August there was scattered rainfall which helped the vines to sustain regular growth of both the vegetation and the grapes. The months of September and October were very favorable for harvest operations, thanks to the warmth of nighttime coolness, optimal conditions for grape quality. Sangiovese was picked during the last ten days of September, while Cabernet continued to be harvested until the middle of October. From the very beginning of the harvest the musts showed very interesting colors and aromas, which indicated that the vintage was of very high level indeed. The favorable conditions during the harvest period permitted calibrated picking operations in the Solaia vineyard, assessments based on a judgment of the state of the grapes and the differences of exposure and vigor of the various vineyards. In the light of these calculations, the grapes of each were separated and fermented in conical sixty hectoliter oak fermenters. The grapes, once in the cellar, were destemmed and the grapes hand sorted with the objective of moving only the finest berries into the tanks. During the fermentation phase of the extraction process, the softest punching down of the skins and rack and return (delestage) techniques in order to fully respect the varietal aromas and the elevated color of the berries. Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc. Fertilizer temperature was 81 ° Fahrenheit (27 ° centigrade) and never allowed to rise above 88 ° Fahrenheit (31 ° centigrade) in order to maintain the maximum aromatic character of the fruit. musts. The musts, which have been shown to have a very large potential in terms of color, structure, and varietal character, and when the wine was run off its skins, New, with the intention of putting it through the malolactic fermentation before the end of the year. During the aging of the wine, in the French oak barrels and for a period of eighteen months, the various lots of wine were kept separate. Regular tasting from the barrels allowed a constant evaluation of quality to maximize the aging phase of the winemaking process, one whose objective was to fully bring out the structure, elegance, and sweetness of the tannins. The wine was finally blended and bottled, then aged in bottle before commercial release at 14 ° of alcohol.