The 2024 harvest at Poggio Antico has come to a close, and two words seem to sum it up like no other: unpredictability and adaptability.
It was a challenging season, marked by extreme weather that tested both the vineyard and the team’s ability to stay adapt.
We caught up with Poggio Antico’s winemaker, Alessio Sostegni, to get his take on the season and what we can expect from this vintage.
How would you describe the 2024 season?
It was extreme! We had a snowless winter - something quite rare for Poggio Antico - followed by an unseasonably cold snap right when the vines started budding. After that, temperatures stayed high through the growing season, peaking during a blistering summer. And to complicate things further, the thunderstorms were spotty, causing uneven ripening even within the same vineyard.
Then, unlike in recent years, we harvested under constant cloud cover, with rain playing a big role. This made it crucial for us to optimize our harvesting schedule to preserve the quality of the grapes.
What were your key strategies in the vineyard?
Managing each Unit of Soil individually and harvesting in multiple passes was essential to deal with all the variables we faced. Once the grapes made it to the winery, optical sorting played a critical role in bringing out the best of what this vintage has to offer. Flexibility and attention to detail were critical, as always, but they took on even greater importance with this year’s unpredictable conditions.
What can we expect from this vintage?
The first tastings from the tanks are very promising: the wines show vibrant fruit and elegance on the nose, with a sleek, focused palate and structured tannins that are never harsh. The acidity is lively and brings great balance and energy.
This will definitely be one of the freshest vintages we’ve seen in the past decade!