Tasting notes

From an underappreciated vintage, the VM 2018 emerges from the glass bringing red fruits, bergamot flowers, tea leaves and delicate mineral notes.

Valmaggiore is always a wine of elegant character and the 2018 continued this trend - it is a Nebbiolo of uncommon grace and delicacy framed by a good structure and persistence.

The sandy soil of Valmaggiore helped drain away the excess of water that fell in May of 2018, leaving the fruit with better balance and structure than expected.

On the palate, the flavours of red cherries are intertwined with fresh acidity and sweetly structured tannins. The finish is long and persistent, with a refined, velvety character that fills the mouth without a hint of heaviness. 

Ratings for the vintage 2018
Kerin O'Keefe 92 points
James Suckling 91 points
Vinous 92 points
Wine Advocate 94+ 
Wine Enthusiast92 points
Wine Spectator 89 points 
Wine&Spirits 93 points 

 

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Evolution of the vintage 2018

After the previous year’s sultry growing season, 2018 began with strong snowfall in winter and abundant rain in spring which relieved the arid soil. The wet weather lasted until the end of April, complicating the work in the vineyard and provoking a slight delay in the opening of the buds.

Flowering occurred under normal conditions. In our cultivation area the beginning of summer was characterized by occasional downpours which led to high levels of humidity. To keep the grapevine healthy and to prevent the spread of downy mildew, we had to be careful to regularly apply the correct treatments.

Green harvesting became necessary for almost all grape varieties to ensure the best quality. In the vineyards, accurate work was needed to be able to harvest well-balanced fruit. The grapes ripened gradually throughout the summer, with temperatures rising in July and a period of warm weather following which finalized the ripening.

Compared to the precocious previous years, the harvest was carried out within the expected timeframe and the yields were slightly higher.

In summary we can say that 2018 was a classic year, which demanded our maximum attention in managing the vineyard: to obtain the best possible results, more manual work than usual was needed. Finally, the quality of the grapes exceeded our expectations - and aging in the bottle will further increase the value to this vintage.

The harvest took place from October 3rd until 10th.