Passopisciaro

ABOUT THE VINTAGE

Contrada Rampante is the highest Contrada sitting at approx. 1,000 meters / 3,280 feet asl. This vineyard grows on steep terraces, shaped by dry stone walls. The soil is made of antique, sandy and oxidized lava, 4,000 years old. The vines are approximately 120 years of age.

THE VINTAGE: The winter of 2023 gifted us with a snowfall the likes of which hadn’t been seen for years, covering the vineyards lying above 800 meters with a thick white blanket. The water reserves benefited from the melting of this precious weather event, after the drought-stricken 2022 vintage. However, 2023 was not all rosy. Spring was dry and mild until early May, when heavy rains and low temperatures persisted throughout June, disrupting the regular flowering process. Despite numerous interventions in the vineyards, organic treatments were not enough to stop the attacks of downy mildew, which reduced production across all vineyards, particularly affecting the earlier-ripening varieties. The summer was marked by record heat, with temperatures repeatedly hitting 40°C / 104°F in July. Given the characteristics of the year, the red grapes ripened unevenly, making 2023 a true challenge. The key to quality this year was undoubtedly our manual harvest (which we have always practiced), allowing us to carefully select the best bunches to ensure the best terroir and varietal expression and integrity in our wines. At 1,000 meters asl, Rampante enjoys cool temperatures and less lack of water even in very hot summers, also thanks to a moderate exposure to the sun. In 2023, this helped to prolong the hanging time of the fruit on the vine and achieve perfect ripening. Hand picking took place on October 22nd.