The 2017 Chianti harvest has begun!

Sangiovese

It's August 2017, and yet the harvest in Chianti has already kicked off. It's unusually early, but not totally unexpected. Winter brought a few frosty days, spring was super warm, followed by some frosty nights in April that caused quite a bit of damage in lower-lying areas. Hot days and very warm nights during summer, and especially the complete lack of rain all year, made the grapes ripen unusually early. At Casaloste in Panzano in Chianti, they started harvesting the Merlot grapes yesterday. And surely, other wineries will gradually start their harvest too. Merlot is one of the earlier-ripening varieties, while Sangiovese will get to hang on the vine a bit longer. It'll be exciting to see how the 2017 vintage from Chianti Classico turns out for us.

All the best to all the winemakers!