Passopisciaro

ABOUT THE VINTAGE

The Nerello Mascalese vines of Contrada Guardiola are bush-trained and reach around 140 years of age. They are located at about 800 m / 2.624 ft asl, just below the winery. The vines grow on pyroclastic, postelliptic soil—around 15,000 years old. It is composed of pure volcanic ash. This vineyard covers about 7 hectares of vineyards. It is our largest Contrada.

THE 2024 VINTAGE DIARY:

The year 2023 left us without the slightest hint of the very cold winter that would reach us a bit later, and it really did! Until the end of February, clear, bright and cold winter days allowed us to work in the vineyards without losing a single hour of productivity.

Spring unfolded in the most classic and positive way as the warm days lengthened and the cool nights left us free from the fear of late frosts . Then came the flowering of our both abundant and beautifully formed clusters between late May and early June. Everything was wonderful. The fear of downy mildew from the previous year lingered, but the vineyards, well cared for, continued their vegetative cycle undisturbed. Everything seemed to shine emerald green before our eyes!

Then came the hot season, with scorching, intense, and unrelenting heat, both day and night. It forced us, where possible, to irrigate during the warm, starry nights. In early August, a restorative rain arrived, accompanied by some hailstones that inflicted serious damage to the grape clusters in the lower vineyards. While monitoring the vineyards to plan the thinning process, we even recorded instances of plants which had not made it due to the prolonged drought.

On the 3rd of October we were ready to harvest the red grapes, which, particularly in the higher-altitude vineyards, gifted us with rich and generous clusters. These grapes give us hope for wines that will achieve a perfect balance of body, tannins, acidity and alcohol.