There were heavy rainfalls and heavy snowfalls during the winter. The vines started their vegetation cycle with a good water supply. The month of April was not particularly mild so that the budding phase of the vines started later in comparison to the past vintages. Budding started only at the beginning of May and it was regular and uniform. The rainfalls during the month of May and during the first ten days of June did not influence the veraison (when the grapes change colour) phase; the clusters in general were compact and with large berries. The temperature then decidedly increased so that the vines could accelerate their vegetative cycle. The clusters and the wood of the vines started ripening slowly but steadily in mid August as it was sunny during the day and there was a good night-day temperature range. (source: Assoenologi – Associazione enologi enotecnici italiani). Please find further details regarding the different zones of Piedmont as follows.

MONFORTE (Province of Cuneo): The winter was cold without much snow. There was a lot of rain during the springtime till mid June. The summer was not very warm. In September the weather was good. In October there was some rain.

Riccardo Seghesio owner of Azienda Agricola Aldo e Riccardo Seghesio (Barolo DOCG, Barbera d’Alba DOC, Dolcetto d’Alba DOC, Langhe Rosso DOC).”..we started picking Dolcetto on the 25th of September and we finished on the 20th of October with Nebbiolo. Although it was rainy during the springtime, it was a good harvest and the grape yield was also good. The alcohol strength and the acidity are good..We just racked off the Dolcetto vats and the wine has good colour and aromatics, the same goes for Barbera. The Nebbiolo vats are still fermenting (24/10). We made the whole range of wines. 2013 is a good vintage and it could be compared to 2010….”

Giorgio Conterno – Azienda Vitivinicola Paolo Conterno (Barolo DOCG, Barbera d’Alba DOC, Dolcetto d’Alba DOC, Langhe Nebbiolo DOC)”..we started picking Dolcetto on the 3rd of October, then we continued with Barbera. We picked Nebbiolo from the 17th till the 22nd of October. The harvest went very well, the grapes were spectacular!..We made the whole range of wines. The Dolcetto and Barbera wines, that have already been racked off, have a lovely colour and wonderful aromatics. When we crushed the Nebbiolo grapes we saw that the must had a beautiful colour and excellent aromatics. The alcohol strength of the wines is maybe half a point lower than the previous vintages. Although the fermentation with the skins remains long, we made it 5 or 6 days shorter than usual. We carried out cold maceration with the skins on some lots in order to enhance the aromatics…..”

LA MORRA (Province of Cuneo): The winter was cold with average snowfalls. The springtime was very rainy. The vegetation phase of the vines started later in comparison to the previous vintages, but not in comparison to the vintages of the 1980s. During the summer it was not too warm with little rain. The weather during the autumn was a bit difficult with rain even during the harvest.

Enzo Revello – Azienda Agricola Fratelli Revello (Barolo DOCG, Barbera d’Alba DOC, Dolcetto d’Alba DOC, Langhe Nebbiolo DOC):”..we started picking Dolcetto on the 20t h of September then we interrupted the harvest and started again on the 8t h -9t h of October with Barbera and Nebbiolo grapes. We finished the harvest on the 25t h -26t h of October. The quality of the grapes was good, the grape yield was average. The wines are well balanced, with a good colour, the alcohol strength is slightly lower..It is still early to give an opinion on the wines, but we are satisfied with the harvest…”.

Marco Marengo – Azienda Agricola Mario Marengo (Barolo DOCG, Barbera d’Alba DOC, Dolcetto d’Alba DOC, Nebbiolo D’Alba DOC) ”we started picking the Dolcetto grapes on the 25t h of September and we finished with the Nebbiolo grapes on the 25t h of October. As the vegetation phase of the vines started 15 days later, the harvest was also later in comparison to the previous vintages. The grapes were beautiful. The wines have a good alcohol strength, good aromatics and a good acidity. We made the whole range of wines. Although we will be able to have a more precise opinion on the wines further on, after the malolactic fermentation and after the wines started their maturation in wood, 2013 can be considered a good to excellent vintage…All vintages from 2004 to 2013 are good..”

SERRALUNGA (Province of Cuneo) The winter was cold with average snowfalls. The springtime was very rainy. The vegetation phase of the vines started later in comparison to the previous vintages. During the summer it was not too warm with little rain..

Giampaolo Pira of Azienda Agricola Pira Luigi & Figli (Barolo DOCG, Barbera d’Alba DOC, Dolcetto d’Alba DOC, Langhe Nebbiolo DOC):”…we started picking the Dolcetto grapes on the 21s t-22n d of September and we finished picking the Nebbiolo grapes on the 25t h -26t h of October. The quality of the grapes was good. The grape yield was higher this year and also the must yield. The wines are good, slightly less concentrated than the previous vintages, but they will be very drinkable. The alcohol strength, the colour and the acidity are good. 2013 is a good vintage. We are satisfied…..”

BARBARESCO (Province of Cuneo): The winter was cold with snow which made the vines have a good water supply. It was cold in the springtime so that the budding phase of the vines started later in comparison to the previous vintages (on the other hand the temperature that was slightly lower than average controlled the vine diseases). The flowering phase of the vines started during the first week of June, later in comparison to the previous vintages, and it coincided with the end of the rains and it was uniform, fast and perfect. It was dry in June and in July and the storms of the end of July supplied water to the vines for the veraison phase. The weather during August was good, it was not excessively warm. There was a wide temperature range between day and night in September (warm during the day and cool at night). October started with cold and rainy days which slowed down the ripening of Barbera and of Nebbiolo. The clusters were flawless and the cold weather preserved the grapes very well during the rains. The harvest started 20 days later (in respect to the previous vintages).

Azienda Agricola Albino Rocca (Barbaresco DOCG, Barbera d’Alba DOC, Langhe Chardonnay DOC, Dolcetto d’Alba DOC, Moscato d’Asti DOCG, Nebbiolo d’Alba, Piemonte Cortese DOC, Vino da Tavola del Piemonte): “ we started picking Moscato on the 13t h of September, Dolcetto on the 18t h of September, Chardonnay on the 22n d of September and Cortese on the 25t h of September. At the beginning of October some vineyards of Barbera and of Nebbiolo were harvested (as the optimal phenolic ripening of the grapes was reached) in the Ronchi zone. The temperature got lower in the following days favouring the ripening of the Nebbiolo grapes. We started picking Barbera and Nebbiolo grapes on the 3r d -9t h of October and Cabernet Franc grapes on the 16t h of October. The harvest was finished on the 16t h of October. The grapes that were picked between September and the beginning of October had a good ripening level and a good balance between sugar and acidity. Although it was a harvest that took place later than the previous ones (and therefore more “classic”) it was well balanced. The grape yield was lower than the yield allowed by the production regulations. The musts have an excellent balance between sugar and acidity and a good colour due to the fact that the grapes were flawless at harvest. We made a new Barbaresco: long traditional alcoholic fermentation with a submerged cap in an oak vat of a capacity of 28 hectolitres. This wine is made from a selection of the three Barbaresco crus of the estate. The 2013 vintage is traditional, classic..”

Sergio and Martina Minuto of Azienda Agricola Moccagatta (Barbaresco DOCG, Barbera d’Alba DOC, Langhe Chardonnay DOC, Dolcetto d’Alba DOC, Langhe Nebbiolo DOC):”..The harvest took place from the 23r d of September till the 17t h of October. We picked Chardonnay first, then Dolcetto, Barbera and Nebbiolo..The ripening was very good, the grapes were rich, flawless, with a lower sugar content in comparison to the previous warmer vintages, the acidity was well balanced, the colour was excellent. We tasted the wines as soon as they were racked off and they are pleasant, fruity and they promise well for the future. The yield was higher this year, next to the maximum obtainable yield. The berries were larger due to the rains in October. The acidity and the sugar were slightly diluted so that the musts were well balanced. ..The 2013 wines have a bright colour, the alcohol strength is slightly lower than in 2011 and in 2012. The acidity is very good before the malolactic fermentation (the acidity content is higher, but the value of the malic acid will get lower with the malolactic fermentation). 2013 is a very positive vintage. 2013 is a bit similar to 2004, considering the grape yield, although in 2004 it was less rainy before the harvest. 2013 and 2004 both are well balanced vintages, not too concentrated, but very pleasant and drinkable….”

ROERO (Province of Cuneo): There was quite a lot of snow alternated with rain in the winter, the temperature was low, but average. The springtime started late, it rained in May. Then the weather was good and the temperature was not too high.

Alfredo Falletti – Castello di Malabaila di Canale (Roero DOCG, Roero Arneis DOCG, Langhe Rosato DOC, Nebbiolo d’Alba DOC, Barbera d’Alba DOC): “…we did not have problems with vine disease this year. The various vegetative phases of the vines were at least 20 days late up to the harvest. We picked the Arneis grapes at the end of August/beginning of September for the past 20 years, but this year we started picking Arneis grapes on the 17t h -18t h of September. This favoured a good acidity, a good alcohol strength and excellent aromatics in the wines. 2013 is a good vintage for whites. This year we dropped 40% of the fruit in the Barbera and Nebbiolo vineyards. The grapes were beautiful at harvest. This is a very good vintage for the red varietals as well. The Nebbiolo wines have a good alcohol strength (14%). The alcohol strength of the Barbera wines is slightly lower. The aromatics are good and so is the polyphenol content. This was a very good harvest. We picked Arneis grapes from the 18t h of September for 12 days, then we interrupted the harvest for 4-5 days in order to let the red varietals ripen properly and we finished picking on the 24t h -25t h of October. We made the whole range of wines….”

DOGLIANI (Province of Cuneo): The climate during the winter was average, it snowed in January and in February. The springtime was very rainy. In June there were a few very warm days and there were 4-5 days of rain. The weather in July was good. In August the weather was good, but there were a couple of violent thunderstorms. The weather in September was ideal and this balanced the vines.

Paolo Boschis – Azienda Agricola Francesco Boschis (Dolcetto di Dogliani DOC, Dogliani DOCG, Barbera d’Alba DOC, Piemonte Barbera DOC, Langhe Freisa DOC, Piemonte Grignolino DOC, Langhe Bianco DOC):”..the harvest was late this year in comparison to the previous vintages, we picked from the 25th of September till the 10th of October. The Dolcetto wines do not have high alcohol strength, but the colour is good, they are fresh and the aromatics are good. We still have to rack off the Barbera d’Alba, and we just racked off the other wines. Therefore, it is a bit early to give our opinion on the wines. We will have a better idea in a month’s time after the malolactic fermentation. As there was so much rain during the springtime, there was a lot of canopy in the vineyards and, as we do not use weedkillers, there was a lot of grass on the aisles between the rows of vines. We had to work a lot and with much care in the vineyards. 2013 is a good vintage and it is very similar to 2008….These kind of vintages usually surprise as the wines can age for a long time..”

CAPRIATA D’ORBA (Monferrato – Province of Alessandria): It was a “classic” winter, the temperature was quite low. The springtime was very rainy. The temperature in June, July and in August was normal for the time of the year. The weather was good in September.

Stefano Massone – Azienda Agricola Stefano Massone (Gavi DOCG) and Camporosso (Gavi DOCG):”..we picked from the 23r d of September till the 6t h of October, with an interruption of a couple of days due to the rain. The harvest was later in comparison to the previous vintages, as, because of the low temperature during the springtime, the budding phase of the vines started 10-15 days later than usual. The weather during August and September was excellent for a good ripening of the grapes and in particular the weather during the two central weeks in September. As the ripening of the grapes was slow and gradual, the clusters were flawless and perfectly ripe. Before the harvest it was warm during the day and cool at night and also this favoured a good ripening. The grape yield was also good..After racking off, the wines have a good colour, good alcohol strength and good acidity…. ”