Der Jahrgang 2020

Dal punto di vista fitosanitario i vigneti sono arrivati alla vendemmia sani e nonostante le poche piogge e le ondate di calore anche in buona salute.

A causa di un ciclo vegetativo precoce , anche ad Altesino la raccolta è iniziata con un notevole anticipo.
Anche quest’anno sono state effettuate importanti operazioni agronomiche che hanno fatto la differenza nel salvaguardare la qualità della produzione :

• Durante la fase di accrescimento dell’acino e di chiusura del grappolo operazioni come la sfemminellatura e la defogliatura parziale sono state mirate solo in quelle microaree più vigorose o dove l’assenza di piogge non ha creato problemi di stress sulle piante.

•  Il diradamento dei grappoli è stato effettuato solo in particolari casi sempre legati alla vigoria della pianta . Anche quest’anno la lotta fitosanitaria ha visto l’utilizzo di metodi di difesa utilizzati in agricoltura biologica/biodinamica : confusione sessuale per il controllo della tignoletta (lobesia botrana) e zeolite per tenere asciutto il grappolo soprattutto nelle prime fasi vegetative. Su alcuni vigneti, vista la particolare annata con poche piogge, la lotta fitosanitaria è stata effettuata solo con metodi biologici tra cui rame e zolfo, zeolite, bacillus, estratti di mandarino.

La vendemmia è iniziata con i vitigni bianchi, con almeno una settimana di anticipo rispetto al 2019.

Lo stesso anticipo si è verificato nel Sangiovese. La vendemmia è iniziata nella prima decade di Settembre nei vigneti di Pianezzine per poi proseguire nel versante nord di Montalcino con i vigneti di Macina ed alcuni appezzamenti di Altesino. Nella terza settimana sono state raccolte le uve di Montosoli e successivamente i vigneti della Velona, per poi finire con gli appezzamenti più tardivi intorno al centro aziendale.

Si sono ottenuti vini caldi, molto alcolici, con estratti eccellenti e complessità aromatiche tipiche delle annate più calde.

We started picking Pinot Grigio August 26th and finished with Teroldego on September 30th. In the cellar yeast activity was incredible: especially in the first half of the harvest on whites. We had fast fermentations with a high ratio of transforming sugar into alcohol. I personally have never seen such a spectacle: values of yeast- propagation were up to 5 times higher than our normal values. To resume it in simple words: this was the biggest orgy we ever had in our cellar.

In the second part of the harvest yeast- activity calmed down a lot (things that start fast, usually are finishing slow) fermentations were calm, but consistent, in some cases very calm.

Pinot Grigio was for sure the biggest surprise of this vintage. We were simply astonished, how our Pinot Grigio was able to handle a huge quantity of rain in August and the beginning of September. Like all Pinots, Pinot Grigio has not a very thick skin, it is a quite compact grape, which is very sensitive to botrytis and sour rot. This was not the case on our Pinot Grigio. Grapes were healthy, there was a beautiful texture and tension in the must, which gave us very balanced wines.

Manzoni Bianco was harvested in two steps: an early harvest the last week of August in the lower part of Fontanasanta and a later one around September 10t in the higher part of the estate. The wines are very different but complementary. Wines are showing a lot of clarity, brightness and varietal notes. We are curious about their evolution.

Nosiola was very generous this year. While we lost up to 15% of the crop because of powdery mildew on all the other varieties, Nosiola overperformed. This was a great chance, because we were able to pick in three steps, selecting each time the ripest grapes. Malos are still marching on. All elements are there to have a complex and deep Nosiola.

Teroldego was the second big surprise. As mentioned before, in the beginning of September we seemed to have another 2014- nightmare on reds. Our biggest concern was the phenolic maturity. Until mid of September everything tasted like grass. Tannins were harsh and green, skins were thin. Thanks to the hot weather in September a revolution of photosynthesis happened. In 10 days, the scenario turned completely. We harvested end of the month fully ripe grapes with great complexity. There is not the tension and deepness of the 2019, but there is for sure a little miracle of nature in these grapes and wines. The first Teroldegos after fermentation are charming and round, we are waiting the end of fermentation of our old pergolas to have a wider picture.

Die Blütezeit begann, sobald die Temperaturen wieder so waren, wie es für die Jahreszeit üblich ist. Patrick Boivin, der für den Weinberg verantwortlich ist, und sein Stellvertreter Cédric Georget notierten für die volle Blüte des Chardonnay den 26. Mai sowie für den Pinot Noir den 28. Der Meunier, welcher sich auf späteren Lagen befindet, blühte dagegen erst am 30. Wenn wir von einem durchschnittlichen Zeitraum von 90 Tagen zwischen Blüte und Weinlese ausgehen (ein Zeitraum, der mit der Klimaerwärmung tendenziell abnimmt), deutet eine Blüte Ende Mai auf eine Ernte Ende August hin. Der gesundheitliche Zustand der hauseigenen Weingärten sowie der unserer Partner blieb die ganze Zeit über gut. Die Gefahr von Falschem Mehltau belief sich aufgrund der Sonneneinstrahlung sowie der niedrigen Niederschlagsmengen auf fast null. Günstig war die Zeit dagegen eher für Echten Mehltau. Dennoch waren unsere Parzellen mit Chardonnay (die empfindlichsten) in einem hervorragenden Zustand. Die beiden Ende Juli bzw. Anfang August verzeichneten Hitzeperioden verursachten vor allem an roten Rebsorten Hitzeschäden. Betroffen waren etwa 30 % der Trauben mit Verlusten von 10 bis 15 %. Der Wassermangel in den Monaten Juli und August löste in einigen Teilen des Weinbergs sichtbaren Wasserstress aus. Einzelne Reben, Teile von Parzellen oder sogar ganze Parzellen wiesen charakteristische Symptome auf (Gelbfärbung der Blätter und allmähliches Austrocknen von unten nach oben). Auf Kreideböden ist dies sehr selten und zeigt die sehr trockene Charakteristik des Jahrgangs 2020.

Was den Ertrag betrifft, erlaubte es der Wassermangel den Beeren nicht, so zu wachsen, wie sie es sollten. Die Erträge sind daher niedriger als vorher geschätzt. Ganz wie der Rest des Jahres war die Reifedynamik auch eher einzigartig. Die ersten beiden Augustwochen ging sie mit mehr als 2 % Vol. innerhalb einer Woche rasant voran. In der dritten Woche hielt sie dann inne, um danach umso besser voranzuschreiten. Selten ist außerdem der Unterschied im Hinblick auf den Reifegrad von Chardonnay und Pinot Noir bzw. Meunier. Für die Weinlese ein optimales Datum festzulegen war daher nicht einfach.

Die ersten Lesescheren kamen am 22. August in unseren Weingärten in Aÿ und Pierry zum Einsatz. Einen so frühen Zeitpunkt gab es im Hause Deutz noch nie! Zwischen Blütezeit und Ernte lagen damit 2020 nur 86 Tage, womit ebenfalls ein Rekord gebrochen wird. Der Gesundheitszustand der Trauben war ausgezeichnet, sie waren – wie in zahlreichen anderen großen Jahren – schön ausgereift. Nach 10 Weinlesetagen beläuft sich der Ertrag auf 8 800 kg/ha (400 kg mehr als die Entscheidung des Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne). Kellermeister Michel Davesne und sein Stellvertreter Olivier Bernard beobachteten bei der Pressung eine gute Ausgewogenheit der Mostwerte: im Schnitt 10,6 % Vol. potenziellen Alkohol. Besonders freuen sie sich über die hervorragenden Werte der besten Parzellen in Aÿ, wie die der Côte Glacière (11,2 % Vol. potenzieller Alkoholgehalt – 5,6 g/L H2S04) oder von Meurtet (10,8 % Vol. potenzieller Alkoholgehalt – 6,2 g/L H2S04). Die Grands Crus des Chardonnay in Avize (10,6 % Vol. potenzieller Alkoholgehalt – 5,9 g/L H2SO4) oder Oger (10,6 % Vol. potenzieller Alkoholgehalt – 7 g/L H2SO4) geben sich ebenfalls vielversprechend. Den höchsten Alkoholgehalt erreichte mit 12,1 % Vol. ein Trester aus Mareuil. Für die Weinbereitung steht also eine herrliche Materie zur Verfügung, aus der ganz sicher eine wunderbare Quintessenz gewonnen werden kann. Die Bedingungen verheißen einen Jahrgang von hervorragender Qualität, welcher Hoffnung auf ziselierte Jahrgangsweine macht und vielleicht sogar ein prestigeträchtiges Trio (William Deutz/Amour de Deutz und Amour de Deutz Rosé) sowie Parzellenweine Hommage à William Deutz in Aussicht stellt. Mit einem Lächeln erinnert Generaldirektor Fabrice Rosset jedoch daran, dass die Entscheidung hierfür nächstes Frühjahr während Verkostungen bei den guten Tropfen selbst liegt.

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4. The return of the rain during the harvest
September is marked by dry weather conditions with very high temperatures for the first fifteen days. After the beginning of the Merlot harvest, rain settled down durably around the 22nd. The sanitary state of the vineyard being good, we were able without concern to harvest between the raindrops. The rain was beneficial to our very concentrated grapes which were able to gain in freshness. At the end of September, it was the turn of the Cabernets to be picked.
5. A promising vintage
2020 is marked by concentrated grapes with a high load of tannins and anthocyanins (color), which induces even sweeter extractions than usual in the cellar. The first tastings of the wines in vats are promising: finesse and freshness are there …

Extracting? Made of grape pips and skins, the marc cap formed at the beginning of fermentation contains molecules that carry flavor, color, structure. Several factors favour the extraction of these compounds: the temperature of the vat, the vatting time, the extraction methods, the presence of alcohol… but also the quality of the grapes: thickness of the skins, size of the berries. Method number 1 : Pumping over (Remontage) Pumping over consists in pumping the must or wine from the bottom of the tank to the top. Aerated pumping over can be used to oxygenate the yeasts (necessary for their multiplication and survival) and to extract phenolic compounds. There are also pumping over systems dedicated only to extraction. The pipe is then immersed in the juice. The extraction is done by the juice which crosses the marc.

Method number 2 : Punching down of the cap (Pigeage) Pigeage consists in pushing the cap of marc on the surface into the liquid part of the must, while crumbling it to promote the diffusion of phenolic compounds and aromas. It is a gentle operation, carried out using a pneumatic pigeur at Château Puygueraud, but sometimes undertaken traditionally by hand, as is the case at Château Alcée and Château La Prade. These two methods combine to obtain the desired wine. The program of pumping over and punching down varies according to the characteristics of the vintage.

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A precocious growing cycle
Although we have weather stations at various quintas in the Douro Superior and Cima Corgo, we typically use Dow’s Quinta do Bomfim at Pinhão in the heart of the region as a barometer for the overall conditions in the Douro. This year, winter and early spring rainfall readings were roughly in line with the average. However, higher-than-average temperatures (with a particularly warm February, at least 2°C warmer than the 30-year average) caused the vines to emerge from their winter slumber three weeks earlier than usual, with budbreak recorded at Quinta do Bomfim on March 3rd. Flowering also arrived two weeks earlier than normal, beginning on May 5th.

Worrying signs of warming
If the overall rainfall levels for 2020 were reassuring, the temperatures were far from it. At Bomfim, every month apart from April was considerably warmer than the 30-year trend. The Douro experienced the hottest July on record, 3.5°C above the average for the region. We also had heat waves in June, August, and September which registered multi-day spikes above the 30-year average maximum temperatures (see charts below). According to IPMA (Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera), the period from January to mid-September 2020 was the warmest on record. Globally, climate scientists think 2020 might end up being the hottest year on record (16 of the 17 warmest years since records began in 1850 have happened since 2000).
The good news is that our indigenous varieties are well adapted to hot and dry Douro summers and demonstrate a variety of natural responses to challenging conditions (including reducing berry and bunch sizes and slowing down maturation). There is also much we can do – and are doing – to adapt to these conditions, from basic techniques around canopy management (and using vineyard layout, altitude and aspect in our favour), to innovations regarding ancestral varieties, climate forecasting software, vineyard robots, and vine water stress studies. However, consistently high temperatures (above 35°C), are – without a doubt – a problem for the region.

Juggling the picking schedule
Due to the advanced growing cycle, we were already on track for an early harvest. With virtually no rain in June or July, we were pleased to see 12.6 mm fall at Bomfim on 20th August (generous pre-harvest rainfall is often an important contributor to the best Vintage Port years in the Douro). Unfortunately, the rain was followed by three waves of high temperatures lasting until mid-September. With the heat counteracting the benefit of the water – and faced with the threat of berry dehydration – we began picking white grapes (which were in remarkably good condition) from the 25th August and we started harvesting our red grapes in earnest on 1st September. The summer heatwaves meant that by early September, yields were substantially reduced compared to our July forecasts (up to 40% downwards in some properties). Although a smaller harvest helps with the complicated logistics of grape-picking in the Douro (predominately picked by hand and with frequent labour shortages), this year’s conditions saw varieties that usually ripen sequentially, needing picking at the same time. This was particularly so with the typically late-ripening Touriga Franca, which we decided to pick at the same time as the Touriga Nacional. This is not a common occurrence. Nevertheless, our experienced vineyard teams adapted exceptionally well, so that the wineries received each variety in the best possible condition. The Douro is a low-yielding region even in the bumper years, but 2020 has brought us an especially small crop. In some locations in the Douro Superior we were harvesting only 400g per vine. Quinta dos Malvedos, the primary Graham’s Port estate, averaged just 600g per vine. Our normal yields per hectare are x4 times less than many other wine regions. When you factor in the high costs of farming our mountain vineyards, it is no wonder that the only viable and responsible future for the Douro involves selling our fantastic wines and ports at the upper end of the market.

The upside
Fortunately, our reward for navigating these challenges has been that the unsettlingly low yields resulted in some incredibly concentrated and dark wines. My first impressions – confirmed by subsequent tastings – were of particularly promising lagares with balanced Baumés. A comparable harvest is 2009, which was also a very dry and hot year, with low yields that nonetheless delivered small quantities of intense, well-structured wines and ports. The stand-out has been the Touriga Nacional, which has produced wines with excellent structure and good acidity. This is remarkable, given the conditions. The Sousão also performed well. The Alicante Bouschet and Touriga Franca were slightly more impacted by the high temperatures, although they did deliver very good quality from more protected slopes and higher elevations. I am pleased with the impact that Sousão and Alicante Bouschet have had on our top ports in recent years, giving us colour, acidity and structure – which is especially important in hot conditions. The fact that the Douro’s terroir provides such a variety of microclimates is a massive advantage in a year like 2020. It takes a rare constellation of events for quality to be consistently exceptional throughout the region (as was the case, for port, in 2011, 2016 and 2017), but the investments we have made in our vineyards and wineries over recent decades mean that we have much greater capacity than previous generations to produce small quantities of stunning Douro wines and ports, even in such challenging conditions as were thrown at us this year.

Looking to the future
All of us in the Douro are concerned about climate change. As the Mediterranean climate shifts northwards, we face an increase in average temperatures, lower rainfall levels, and more frequent temperature spikes. Although our grape varieties are resilient – and we have been preparing for climate change for many years – more needs to be done to help grape farmers to adapt (including widespread research into vineyard strategies, responsible and sustainable irrigation policies). And, to safeguard the future of wine production in the Douro, we need to see a far more ambitious reduction in global CO2 emissions this decade. At Symington, we are measuring our end-to-end carbon footprint and, as members of International Wineries for Climate Action, are signed up to ambitious reduction goals based on the scientific consensus of safe levels of emissions.

Charles Symington
Winemaker – Production Director
Quinta do Bomfim, Douro Valley – Wednesday 7th October 2020

Photography project – This year we had a photographer-in-residence working with us at Dow’s Quinta da Senhora da Ribeira in the Douro Superior. You can view Francisco Soares’s digital exhibition, ‘The People Behind the Harvest’, consisting of 45 stunning portraits (each accompanied by a short caption or story), here on Instagram: @senhora.da.ribeira_2020.

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