Budbreak 2014 : Montalcino terroir in action

Our three vineyards are separated by a total of 15 km (9 miles) and have different elevation, soil composition, vine-age and exposition. These photographs were all taken in the early afternoon of 24th March. At Le Due Porte, where our cellar is, the fuzzy nubs are just visible, whereas at the Castelnuovo dell'Abate vineyards, significantly lower in altitude and south/south west facing we are weeks ahead, close to full sfarfallamento. I have written about this before (and here) but these tangible examples of terroir always astound me.The first “gemme” (meaning jewels in Italian) always give me the feeling of being perched at the top of a rollercoaster, ready for the plunge. Within weeks there will be leaves and then walls of foliage, tendrils, grape clusters and bunches and everything else that has to happen before harvest in October.