The interruption of a dream.
The mild, sunny autumn permitted us to work the soil and distribute the manure and compost. These works will prove to be crucial in the management of the year.
In spring, the first rains arrive and become very frequent and copious. The plants are sprouting very well, after so much drought they seem reborn. Flowering and fruit set are also excellent.
With a few difficulties in phytosanitary management, all went well until Monday 24 July, when a storm of unprecedented violence hit Cà dei Zago. The hail is a lot and shot onto the vines by a lot of wind.
The following morning we walk in the vineyard above a carpet of grapes.
HAILSTORM YEAR
The 2022 vintage is a revealing one: those who have managed to nurture and maintain good soil fertility have harvested good fruit even in adverse climatic conditions. A year of hardship, with a dry and hot winter; the plants sprouted amidst drought, which persisted until the maturation of the grapes. A sigh of relief with some timid rain at the end of August, followed by a warm harvest. The wine is warm, enveloping, supported by minerality. Floral notes are lacking, tied to the warmth.
The 2021 vintage is characterized by a constant availability of water alternated with sunshine and clear skies, clean air. During the cold winter, snow covered the vineyards. The spring was also cool, causing a vegetative delay that brought the physiological development of the plants back to normal. May was very rainy, ensuring good growth of the young vines, and flowering occurred with rain. June and July were better, concluding with sunny August and September, resulting in a wonderful harvest. The wine is taut, linear, floral, fresh, and mineral with a crisp texture. A great vintage.
The 2020 vintage is characterized by a mild winter followed by a cold spring that led to a delay in bud break. From late April and May, the sudden rise in temperature led to rapid vine growth. August was finally hot and dry, leading to a surprisingly normal harvest compared to the initial delay. The wine is well-structured, pleasant, with a pronounced prevalence of fruit over floral notes. Good vintage.
2019 begins with a initially mild and sunny autumn, allowing us to carry out the first soil work. From October 26th to 30th however, the arrival of big storm named Vaia poured 718 mm of water on the ground in three days. The wind on Mount Cesen reached 192 km/h, on the Rolle pass 217 km/h. 42,500 hectares of forest are felled, Venice is flooded by 152 cm, the Piave river also overflows in Segusino. Since then, rain and snow are no longer seen for almost the entire winter, the land is dry, the mountain is yellow, burnt orange by the sun. The spring is also dry until April 26th when a disturbance arrives, and there is a strong hailstorm in the eastern part of Valdobbiadene. Fortunately, Ca’ dei Zago Mariarosa and Bastia are intact. Then, dry weather returns throughout the summer. Strange climate, with significant thermal and water fluctuations throughout the year. We reduce macerations to 1-2 days; the wine gains verticality, aromaticity, the fruity character is supported by a pleasant Mediterranean spice, intriguing. Not an easy vintage, but a wine of great personality.
The 2018 vintage is characterized by good productivity generosity, thanks to the mild spring that ensured excellent flowering. Freshness is somewhat compromised, due to the very hot and dry summer. In Valdobbiadene, as in the Dolomites, the winter was dry, almost snowless. The wine revealed itself over time, initially austere. Warm vintage.
A warm vintage, starting with a spring frost that caused various damages to the vineyards in the plains. Fortunately, we were not affected. The spring and summer were also warm with very little rain. Perhaps in the cellar, we went a little overboard, and macerations lasted for three or four days. The wine is golden, with intense foam, complex aromas, the palate is intense, very intense, and salty. A good vintage.
The 2016 vintage was cool, characterized by a mild winter followed by a sudden rise in temperatures in April, followed by abundant precipitation in May and June. August finally was hot and dry, allowing a good harvest. A productive vintage, misinterpreted by us.
After the disastrous previous vintage, the plants exploded with great vigor in spring, and the phenological phases followed smoothly until harvest. Beautiful grapes perfectly ripened. In the cellar, white vinification, no maceration. Technical wine, precise, bordering on perfection at the expense of emotion. Last vintage. Great vintage.
The 2014 season started very well, with a sunny spring and the right water regime. The illusion then ended with the continuation of the summer months, replacing the characteristic elements of light and warmth with unusual rain and humidity. For this reason, we had to work a lot with leaf thinning, cleaning the clusters to ensure good ventilation. In practice, it never stopped raining all summer, and the grapes struggled to ripen. In the cellar, we vinified in three different ways depending on the grapes and their hail damage, with only one vineyard remaining intact. With great work and care in the cellar, the wine responded well. Terrible vintage.
Given the little experience, the very rainy spring puts us in difficulty in managing Plasmopara viticola. We manage somehow to confine the damage, and fortunately, the summer is torrid and dry. The remaining grapes ripen well, excellent analytical data, and we start harvesting on September 17th. Wine described as authoritative, gentle, and elegant in taste, fresh and delicate in smell. Excellent vintage.
A hot, dry vintage. In the vineyard, we neither mowed the grass nor performed the topping of the shoots. Plants suffered greatly, and we understood the importance and difference in resistance of rootstocks to drought. Warm wine, flat, fortunately mineral finish, absent acidity. Smell and aftertaste of ripe fruit. Hot and dry vintage.
Excellent spring with normal succession of seasons until hail arrives on June 8th, during the pre-flowering phase, many buds and part of the clusters split, but the plants recover strength, and we reach September with little but excellent grapes. Good vintage.
The first official vintage of Christian and Marika, a change in vinification is introduced with the harvest in small crates and sorting table, aiming for maximum attention to grape work. The vintage is beautiful with well-distributed rains throughout the year. No hail. A vintage that has great longevity over the years. Great vintage.
Ca’ dei Zago is located on a hilly terrain of medium-high slope, at 250 meters a.s.l. The terraced rows face east - south - west, covering a total of 4.5 hectares, owned since 1924. The soil is Morainic, clay-sandy with a reddish-brown color, interspersed with flint pebbles (siliceous rock). Fragments of porphyry, quartz, and gneiss are also present. The soil is not limestone.
