L'Enologa tells: Salidoro 2020, Monferrato bianco D.O.C

What are the main characteristics of the 2020 vintage compared to those of 2019?

In our territory, the 2020 vintage had a climatic trend in some ways opposite to that of 2019. Already in the first months of the year, before the vegetative restart of the vine plants, some anomalies were recorded, both in terms of temperature and pluviometric level, with average temperatures clearly above the average for the period for our area, while the water supply was decidedly lower, also thanks to the total absence of snow. In the months of April and May the weather situation normalized, thanks to the occurrence of rains in the last ten days of April and during the month of May, although with total accumulations of water lower than 2019. The anomaly recurred in the month in June, with a sharp drop in temperature in the first days of June accompanied by abundant rains. After a normal month of July, with high thermal peaks in the last ten days of the month, followed by a month of August with exceptional rains for the period, accompanied by hailstorms, strong winds and temperature drops. So, if the 2019 vintage is to be remembered as one of the hottest for the Piedmont area, 2020 will go down in history as the year of climatic anomalies.

How were the weather conditions during the harvest period?

The month of September was generally favorable to the development of the last stages of ripening of the grapes, with quantitatively average rainfall concentrated in the last days of the month, while the climatic trend in October confirmed the anomaly of the year 2020: exceptional rainfall accumulations in the first days of the month, with the harvest of late red grapes still in progress.

How did the Chardonnay and Sauvignon grapes from the Valpagna vineyard arrive?

The harvest of the Chardonnay and Sauvignon grapes, which together make up our Salidoro, was in 2020 at the end of the first ten days of September, much later than in previous years given the particular climatic trend of the vintage. In the previous weeks, leafing of the cluster area was carried out to mitigate the effect of the rains, and the presence of the herbaceous soil cover was exploited to facilitate the absorption of the water present in abundance in the soil. In this way, health, and more generally the quality of the harvest, have been achieved in any case.

What are the salient features of Salidoro 2020?

In this vintage, the Salidoro has been able to express a marked minerality, which is certainly its distinctive character, particularly accentuated in 2020. On the nose, the hints of Chardonnay combine with the floreality of Sauvignon, which does not retreat in its aromatic expression. On the palate, a marked acid taste joins the savory notes, stimulating a salivation that is a sign of pleasantness in a white wine!

What combinations do you suggest for this wine?

Salidoro always finds its best expressions in food pairing. Given the period and the expression of the vintage, I would like to suggest pairing it with a dish that sees asparagus as an ingredient, even better if paired with medium-aged cheese.

See the product