Production years

A warm and dry winter was followed by a warm and nice spring with very good rains mainly concentrate in March. This good supply of rain created a good accumulation of water for the following months. Summer was warmer than average but both June and August have had more rains than average. In the last ten days of March there was also an important inflow of cold air from Siberia that dropped the temperature for about 10°c below the average. This cold period caused a delay of about one week in the budding while the warmer followign weeks pushed the flowering anticipating it of about a week. The rest of the vegetative development was well balanced.
Beginning of September was also warm allowing a good start of the harvest that was later interrupted by some showers that delayed a bit the picking operations.
One important note to mention is that, even if both spring and summer were warmer than average, we had several cold and heat waves that was alternating with each other, together with cool summer nights.
Both events contributed to significant temperature variations and slowed ripening process.
The grapes at harvest was perfect with almost no selection needed.
Probably the most healthy grapes of the last 15/20 harvests.
The produced quantity has been a bit higher than the 2019 one.
We expect a great vintage with slower evolutions, wines of great longevity and distinctive elegance.

A vintage to discover!

After two months, both December and January, colder than the thirty-year average, a mild spring followed with the only month of May colder than average.
We had little rainfalls in the first three months of the year. April rainfall was slightly above average, while all spring rain was concentrated in May. Summer months followed with temperatures above normal, with three major heat waves, one for each summer month, but with above average rainfalls that mitigated the heat but brought humidity.
In particular rainfalls at both end of July and end of August allowed an excellent water supply to the plants and were excellent heat mitigation.
The rainy and cold May led to a 7-10 days delay in both the budding and the following flowering. Consequently, also the veraison and harvest took place later than 2018.
Beginning of September was characterized by important day-night temperature shift, even more evident in the Matelica area, as well as very warm period that especially in some lower areas of le Marche accelerated the ripening.
Sporadic rains during the harvest time slowed the harvest operations down.

BISCI Notes Average production in general is slightly lower than in 2018.
The aforementioned post-veraison weather conditions, in particular the important September day-night thermal excursion, will guarantee whites with both beautiful fragrance and freshness resulting in very pleasant and with great dinkability wines.
All these integrated with great depth of mouth added by the old vineyards.

We expect a vintage similar to 2018 with a little more richness/complexity but always with great balance thanks to the high acidity.
Very pleasant surprise also from the Merlot.

The 2018 vintage in Matelica started with a moderately cold winter and was characterized by frost episodes at end of the season. In spring both temperature and rainfalls have been in the norm. The relatively warm summer, has had more rainfalls with violent thunderstorms fortunately without hails. Summer’s temperatures have had constant thermal excursions with high temperatures peaks which have seldom exceeded 34°C.

The summer has been more in the norm, without strong heat waves like it happened in the last few years. The described meteorological conditions resulted in the production of grapes with both an excellent maturation level and superb health conditions without any little sign of neither water nor thermal stress. The harvest period started just one week earlier than usual by means of 17 September.

The 2017 was an uncommon vintage from both rainfall and temperature point of views. The vintage started with a mild winter but with some important snowfalls, followed by a warm spring with temperature above the average and with little rainfalls. The summer was hot and with no rains, characterized by a succession of heat waves. The winter rainfalls and the snowfalls provided a good water reserve until spring, while the low spring rainfall was not enough to provide the same water supply for the summer. Despite all this the clay soils have helped to maintain a certain water support to the plants.

On April 21st, a very unusual late frost hit Italy, reaching the worst temperature in the valley floors. In the Matelica area we experienced around minus 5°C in the lower valley floor, which has burned several sprouts already in advanced stages. The low quantity of water and the frost have conditioned the production which resulted in less than about 30% compared to the average of the previous vintages.

At the same time, almost no rainfalls, high temperature and low production allowed us to have grapes with excellent maturation and with exceptional health profile. As consequence, we could use over 90% of the harvested grapes to produce our wine selections. All the grape growing process was anticipated and this had lead us to start the harvest at the beginning of September. Thanks to the perfect weather conditions, the health of the grapes and its consequent easy selection during their picking; the harvest lasted almost one week (usually it last between two and three weeks).

It has been an early harvest, of around three weeks before the standard timing. Such a large anticipation was also a consequence of our choice to prefer drinkable and elegant wines rather than powerful ones. In general, we think that the producers that have well understood this vintage following carefully the maturation evolution without respecting strict protocols will be able to obtain great wines.

In this 2017 we do expect to produce elegant and good for aging wines.

The 2015/2016 winter was mild with little rain. This caused early budding of the vines. There were rains in the late springtime. After which there were rains every week during the summer. These disturbances originate from the Atlantic ocean, so that they brought cold air resulting in good temperature dropping, which favored the ripening of the aroma of the white grapes.

Notes from the oenologist:
“… we worked in the vineyards maintaining a good canopy so that there was a good ripening of the grapes. The harvest was quite early in one part of the vineyards and it was late in the Fogliano vineyard. The harvest started at the end of September and finished on the 20th of October with the Fogliano vineyard. The grape yield was good. The wines are fresh, fruity and pleasant. The wines made from the Fogliano vineyard are complex, with a good acidity that will ensure a long evolution and a long ageing. The wines resulting from such a vintage, showing a good acidity and with a low pH, can age up to 20 years! This year, between February and March, we replanted 7 hectares of vineyards with Verdicchio (these vineyards were originally planted with red varieties for 5 hectares and with Verdicchio for 2 hectares). This year we planted 7 new hectares of Verdicchio, so that now the total vineyard extension is 20 hectares, of which 18 hectares are planted under Verdicchio and approximately two hectares are planted with Sangiovese and with Merlot… ”

The winter was mild and with a medium quantity of rain. The springtime was quite dry. There was good weather in May and in June during the first phases of the vegetative cycle of the vines. The weather was also good in July and in August with little rains. It started raining after mid-September and the rains lasted for about 15 days till the beginning of October.

Notes from the oenologist:
“…2015 is a very good and well balanced vintage. We picked from the 25th/26th of September till the 15th of October. The grapes were very healthy and ripe. This year we could utilise a large percentage of the grapes in the vineyards for our high end wines (on a yield of 8 -8.5 tons/hectare we utilised 6.5-7 tons for high end wines. We usually use 5 -6.5 tons/hectare). The fermentation of the wines proceeded well. The wines are very well balanced between alcohol strength and acidity. This was last year, the 3rd one, to complete the conversion phase to be certified organic (first year 2013). Our wines, although not certified, are made respecting the protocol for organic wines……”

The winter was mild and rainy. There were rains throughout the springtime and the summer.

The weather was good from mid-September onwards.

Notes from the oenologist:
”…we started picking Merlot on the 1st of October, followed by Sangiovese and then Verdicchio. We finished on the 20th of October. We follow organic practices in the vineyards (the estate is in the conversion phase to certified organic). This year we worked very hard in the vineyards: we defoliated the vines to favor clusters ventilation and we dropped fruit more than in the previous vintages in order to obtain a lower yield per vine. We had very good results on the Verdicchio wines: the wines have a very nice drinkability, showing both good acidity and good aromatic notes. The good acidity makes them particularly suitable for a long ageing. The 2014 Verdicchio wines are wines with a definite character. We obtained good results also on the red varietals thanks to the low grape yield achieved by dropping fruits more than normal”

The winter was average without much snow. The springtime was rainy. The weather was cool till the harvest except for 15 -20 warm days in August. There was a wide night-day temperature range which is typical of this area.

Notes from the oenologist:
”.. the estate is in the first year of the conversion phase to be certified organic. Vineyard management was very careful as, due to the rain, there was a lot of canopy and the production was contained by dropping fruit. It was evident, from the beginning of the season, that 2013 is a vintage for whites. We picked from the 30th of September till the 15th of October. The wines have good aromatics and a good acidity. We have to see how the wines evolve. We carefully selected the clusters of the Vigneto Fogliano vineyard and we now have to evaluate whether we will make Verdicchio di Matelica Vigneto Fogliano 2013 or whether we will blend the wine with the Verdicchio “base”.

For the first time we picked Sangiovese before Merlot. The reds are good. ”

It snowed in the winter, it also snowed at the end of the season in February. The snow melted slowly so that the ground could absorb the water which created an excellent supply for the vines. The springtime was normal with a medium-low quantity of rain. During the month of June, the temperature was very high, and it continued to be high in July and in August.

During the final ripening phase of the vines in September there was a rainfall which was beneficial for the vineyards.

Notes from the oenologist:
”…the vines were protected by adequate viticultural practices such as early thinning out of the clusters (so that the vines did not suffer from hydric stress). We harvested from the 18th of September till the beginning of October. The grape yield and especially the grape/must yield was lower than average. The wines are very similar to the ones of 2011: although the acidity is slightly lower, due to the narrower day/night temperature range, the character of the Verdicchio varietal remains intact thanks to the absence of oxidation as, at harvest, the clusters were flawless (i.e. there was no rot). Therefore, the wines, at this early stage, are very good, elegant, clean and clear, with good aromatics

The climate of 2011 was optimal till the whole of July. The weather during the month of August was hot and windy. The weather during the harvest was good.

Notes from the oenologist:
”..although the temperature range between night and day was not very high, there were no diseases due to the dry climate. Consequently, the varietal characteristics of the grapes were intact as no oxidation process took place. The aromatics were greatly favored. The yield was lower, especially the grape/must yield. The wines during this first phase are very good, they are very elegant, clean and clear, with good aromatics. The alcoholic fermentation lasted for a double amount of time in comparison to previous vintages, but it was regular and correct (there was no mold on the grapes nor harmful enzymes) thanks to the absence of oxidation processes. 2011 is a vintage for “selection” so we expect a great “vigneto Fogliano”

The 2010 vintage was distinguished by the absence of hydric stress for the vines and by the absence of high temperatures (during the summer). On the other hand, the wide night-day temperature range was very important, especially during the month of July. During harvest there were alternate rainy and sunny days, causing some difficulties (source: Assoenologi – Oenologist Italian Association).

Notes from the oenologist:
“..this vintage is completely different from the two previous ones. The climate in 2010 will leave a character of freshness, good acidity and fruitiness in the wines. This character will be counteracted by the richness of the Verdicchio varietal. We picked the whites at the end of September (25/09) and we finished on the 15 th of October with the red varietals. Grape yield was higher than in the previous two years. A more intense vegetation management was necessary there was a lot of vegetation so that we had to thin out more fruit and also defoliate and top the vines more. The vineyards of Bisci have an excellent exposure. The 2010 wines are mineral, fresh and elegant. They are “important” and well-structured wines, with slightly more freshness and acidity … ”

The winter and spring were rainy. It was rainy up to the end of June, then July and August were dry and hot. It was go od weather during the harvest.

Notes from the oenologist:
“Due to the rains in the springtime the berries of the red varietals were larger than usual. Those rains were counterbalanced by the good weather conditions during the harvest period so that we could wait till the clusters were fully ripe. There have been no disease problems and the clusters were perfect at harvest. The whites had a very good start. In August it was very hot for 20 days, but thanks to the favorable microclimate of Matelica, characterized by important day-night thermal excursions, we had a very good result with the whites. 2009 is a lovely vintage. We started picking the whites on the 26/09 and then we alternated the harvest of whites and reds. We finished with Cabernet on the 10th of October…”

Springtime was rainy. Budding of the vines was very fast. It rained during the whole month of June so that vineyard management was very important. July and August were warm and dry. During harvest the weather was good and there were no disease problems. Good forecast for the 2008 vintage.

Notes from the oenologist:
”It was a good harvest. We picked slowly, we started at the beginning of October with Verdicchio and we finished on the 20th of October. The ripening times of the grapes of each vineyard were respected.”

In general the winter was not rainy and it was quite mild, there was not much rain in springtime, after which there was a lot of sun and wind. It was extremely important to work well in the vineyards in order to avoid hydric stress for the vines. Harvest was early giving extremely good quality grapes. The resulting wines was as well of great level.

Notes from the oenologist:
“..the area of our vineyards is quite protected from the effects of drought as it is hilly and the soils are in general deep. In this vintage grape yield was lower tab previous vintages. The whites are complex, fat and have a lot of structure. The reds are lovely and full in the mouth. We started picking on the 15th of September (13-14 days earlier compared to the average date start).”

First vintage for Aroldo Bellelli as oenologist, while he was already working as agronomist since 14 years.
It was a good vintage in the region. Winter was very cold, with a little snow, spring was rainy and this created a good reserve of water for vines. Life cycle of vines was slower at first due to cool weather at the beginning of June, after which weather was good till August when there were about 10 days of rain that slowed ripening down. Ripening was then balanced by excellent weather that lasted during the whole period of harvest. Clusters were in general without flaws and ripe.

Notes from the oenologist:
“… for whites this is one of the best vintages of the last years, in particular for the base Verdicchio. Excellent balance between acidity and fruit, wines are pleasant, very drinkable and fresh. It is a good vintage also for reds. We picked starting on the 30th of September and we finished around the 20th of October (we picked respecting perfect ripening of each varietal)