The 2016 vintage is the second five star year since the legendary 2010 (the so-called vintage of the century) and is already a source of much anticipation, following so closely on the heels of wonderful 2015.

For us it was the year of the bug war. We picked the Castelnuovo vineyards on 28th September and higher altitude Le Due Porte on 5th October 2016. I remember the harvest very clearly since there were storms and we waited to pick until afterwards and, while retrospectively this was definitely the right decision, I remember flinching as the rain fell and fearing the worst.

Though it makes for tedious reading the weather report for the year uses the word average extremely often which is of course exactly the conditions that wine producers most desire. It was an average spring with average rainfall but no snow. 2016 was a vintage that was unproblematic for canopy management or grape health. Some rainfall in July was enough to balance the 30 C temperatures of the second part of the month and a relatively dry August. This said, August 2016 was nothing like 2017 where drought put Montalcino to the test particularly in certain areas. In 2016 there was 70 mm rainfall between the beginning and end of the month. Significant thermal excursion in August allowed for a slow ripening which is often not the case (see 2018). There was rain at the beginning of September and in the middle of the month but the tramontana northern wind saved the day, along with pronunced thermal excursion and very warm days and very cool nights. Expect considerable aromatic complexity, elegant tannins and delightful acidity…. and wines that are anything but average! See here for some of the decisions behind every bottle.

Ingredients:

1 large red onion, finely chopped

1/4 pound pancetta, chopped

2 bay leaves

1 tsp sage, chiffonade

2 tbsp EVOO

Directions:

When the fettuccine are ready, combine the sauce, pasta and reserved cooking liquid in a large bowl. Thoroughly mix the sauce into the pasta and serve hot, with a grating of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

Buon Appetito!