Montalcino Report

Olive Harvest 2011: Harvest Byproducts Are Useful

When 100 kilograms of olive are pressed, the following are obtained:

10-15 kilograms of olive oil;
40-55 kilograms of olive oil pomace;
30-50 liters of water.

Because these last byproducts are unrefined, the vegetal liquids are used by our estate for the fertirrigatione (fertilizer-water irrigation) in the olive groves (photo above).

The pomace is instead sent to an outside company and is utilized for the production of biogas (fermentation gas) in digestors. We do not utilize it here at our estate because to construct a digestor and make it economically useful, we would need to have a production of byproducts 10 times as great as that which we could produce today. And for this reasons, we have chosen the path of sending it to another company.

Harvest Report 2011: The Rain Has Done Only Good For Us

In this moment of the year, the wines in the cellar are making the malolactic fermentation, without the addition of bacteria, but utilizing only the temperature (we keep the wines at 20/22° C. [68/72° F.])

In the countryside, we are picking the olives but the harvest will be over by November 10. This has been a vintage with much fewer olives, especially when compared to last year.


In the vineyards, we are doing the autumnal working of the soils. In this moment, we are working in the "Paganelli" vineyard, our top cru.


The woods are also beginning to feel the autumn and the leaves are changing coloring, veering from the green to yellow and to red.

Last week's rain, which caused much damage in Liguria and upper Tuscany, raining 5,400 millimeters in 5 hours, did only good for us inasmuch as it only rained about 30 millimeters and it fell slowly.

All of the rain that fell was "drunken" by the land. We are expecting another storm this weekend and we hope that it does not do a lot of damage.

"Benfinita Vendemmia" the "Happy Ending of the Harvest" Celebration

Just like every year, Sunday 23 October, we have made the lunch to celebrate the end of the harvest.

150 persons, including our employees and their families have participated in the festivities, which have now become a yearly tradition.

The food was traditional Tuscan cuisine cooked in a homestyle manner and paired with our wines and served in our vinification cellar.

It was also an opportunity to taste the newly pressed olive oil that we began producing a few days ago.


During the lunch, our owner Leopoldo Franceschi has made a speech and expressed his thanks to our employees and he has given them an update on the quality of the 2011 harvest and the progress of the winery.

Lastly, in keeping with a yearly ritual, our able cellar master Fabio Guerrini was awarded a gold medal for his 20 years of honorable service at Il Poggione during which he has contributed in a positive manner, thanks to his abilities, in reaching the goals that we have reached.

Olive Harvest Report 2011: Some Light Rain and Cooler Temperatures

On Thursday 20 October, it has rained also in Sant'Angelo in Colle. But the rain was light, only 15 millimeters and it gave relief to a countryside thirsty for water. The temperatures are also beginning to drop.

On Friday, the maximum temperature was 14.5 C. (58° F.) and the minimum was 6.5° C. (44° F.) Saturday morning the minimum fell to 4° C. (39° F.).

We have continued to harvest the olives over the weekend and on Saturday the olive press was working the olives harvested the previous day.

Yesterday, Sunday 23 October, we have stopped the work because we have celebrated as is our habit the "Benfinita" or "Happy Ending" of the harvest, with a grand luncheon in the fermentation room with the owner of the winery and our employees with their families.

Harvest Report 2011: Strange Weather Continues in Sant'Angelo in Colle

The climatic progression in the village of Sant'Angelo in Colle (commune of Montalcino), where we live and make wine and olive oil, continued to be strange last week. The rain that we had awaited for so long did not arrive and the olive trees are more thirsty. The olive harvest will be quantitatively low this year.

To assess the quality, we must wait for the pressing of the olives. Antonio, the responsible man for the press, is finishing the last maintenance of the machines and then we will be ready to begin.

Harvest Report 2011: The Harvest Has Been Completed 7 October

Yesterday, 7 October, we have completed the harvest, picking the Sangiovese grapes for the production of Brunello di Montalcino in the high zone of Sant'Angelo in Colle, in the vineyards "Costa" and "Fonterenza" to be precise.

Healthy, ripe grapes that will give the Brunello 2011 elegance, aromas, acidity, thanks to the location of the vineyards at 400 meters above the sea level.

We have arrived at the end of a long harvest that begin with the picking of the white grapes on 22 August.

The climatic progression of this year passed from a cool and rainy July to a torrid August without rain. A progression that continued even in September and that made us work diligently in the vineyard to select the grapes and to pick those more advanced in their ripening, which were at risk and were being dried, leaving in the vineyard those which were not good.

The vines located at different altitudes, with ages that vary between 15 and 47 years, have responded well to the climatic progression and we can say that not only for the Riserva I Paganelli, but also for the Brunello di Montalcino vintage and for the Rosso di Montalcino, the quality is very high. Rightly, we must wait for the wines to finish the malolactic fermentation before we pass judgment. But our experience, as we have already tasted them, tells us that the quality is there and that it is very good.

A thanks, as always, to our workers who have worked hard in the vineyard up until the very end, selecting and picking only the best bunches.

Harvest Report 2011: Nature Runs Her Course

Nature runs her course.

Despite the fact that the heat continues to act strangely and that for the first time, the beaches at Forte dei Marmi will continue to be open to the public until 30 October (when they usually close on 30 September), we still need to remember that fall has arrived.

As can be seen in the photo, the leaves of the vines are changing color from green to yelow.

The woods can feel the autumn and the acorns (fruit of the oak trees) begin to ripen and fall to the ground, food for the wild animals like the boars, badgers, porcupines, and squirrels.

Harvest Report 2011: Harvesting Paganelli the "cru" of Tenuta Il Poggione

Today we have begun the harvest of grapes in the Paganelli vineyard, with which we will produce the Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Vigna Paganelli.

The analytical results in the vineyard and in the laboratory tell us that the grapes have arrived at the apex of quality and it is now time to harvest. In the vineyard, we continue to select the grapes manually and those bunches which are not qualitatively perfect are cut and dropped on the ground as food for the animals.

Only the best fruit is delivered to the cellar for the production of our winery's "cru".

Again, this year, the Paganelli vineyard has shown its qualitative potentiality, in an anomalous summer, where it was the vine that made the difference.

Harvest Report 2011: The Grapes Have Held Up Well to the Heat of an Endless Summer

We are now harvesting the Sangiovese grapes in the central zone of our estate next to our farmhouse/agriturismo (called the "Capannacce") in the "vigneto delle olivastre" (the "vineyard of the wild olive trees"). These grapes will be used to produce our Brunello di Montalcino. The grapes are at the correct point of ripeness and also have ripe seeds.

The vines have held up well to the heat of a summer that does not wish to end, as can be seen in the new vegetation.

During the hottest hours of the day, we continue to have temperatures up to 28° C. (82° F.), while during the night the temperatures descend to as low as 16° (61°). The bunches still have turgid berries.

In the cellar, the must from the Sangiovese harvesting the day before yesterday is fermenting and we have already obtained good color.

Harvest Report 2011: Very Light Rain at Il Poggione On Saturday

Saturday afternoon and Sunday afternoon it has rained on the Mt. Amiata and surroundings, while only a few millimeters of rain fell on our estate.

Sunday evening, as can be seen in the photo, the weather appeared to promise rain. But none arrived.

Today, as planned, we have re-initiated the harvest of the Sangiovese for the production of Brunello di Montalcino.

The grapes are at the right point of ripeness, with excellent parameters.