2020 Percarlo

Luca Martini di Cigala presented a superb set of wines. The 2020s are stellar. It was not an easy vintage, though. There is no Ricolma. An unexpected and sudden rise in volatile acidity required a level of intervention the estate did not want to undertake, so the 2020 was not bottled. In tasting, the 2020s are brilliant, with an unforgettable Percarlo leading the way. The 2021s, which I tasted from barrel, might turn out to be even better. “In 2020, we started to see some dehydration on the vine in well-draining sites, so we moved harvest up by five days,” Luca Martini di Cigala explained. “Our harvest took place from September 16 to October 6, whereas in 2021 we started on September 22 and finished on October 15.”

As always, most of the focus here is on the vineyards, while winemaking is decidedly minimalist. Fermentations are done in cement with indigenous yeasts, with the exception of Ricolma, which is now fermented using commercial yeasts, a measure taken to avoid a repeat of 2020, when the wine was inadvertently ruined. Malolactic fermentations are completed by the end of the year. The wines are then racked and moved into oak at the beginning of the following year. Most of the wines see 18-20 days on the skins, but that can grow to 35-40 for Percarlo. The Chianti Classico is aged in cask and/or neutral oak, while the Baroncole and Percarlo are aged in a mix of French oak and cask, while Ricolma is raised entirely in French oak.

Once again, Luca Martini di Cigala presented a strong set of wines. The 2019 vintage was not easy. A severe hailstorm on July 13 damaged the canopy in the Sangioveses and pushed back harvest by about ten days. Things were even more difficult for the Merlot. Because of its earlier cycle, Merlot was more exposed and hail damaged the berries, not just the canopies. As a result, yields for the Ricolma are down 50%. Some wines, notably the Baròncole, show a slightly rough quality to the tannins. The 2020s I tasted point to a strong year. "We had one very hot week in the middle of September that accelerated our harvest. It felt like the grapes might dehydrate on the vine, " Martini di Cigala told me. "That was followed by heavy rain and cold weather." The 2020s are marked by luscious fruit and terrific depth. Sadly, though, there will be no Ricolma because of a technical issue that arose in fermentation. I am sure it is incredibly hard to lose a wine like that after an entire year of work, but then again, these are wines made with an uncompromising commitment to values of sustainable farming and artisan winemaking, so these things can happen.