2017 Le Macchiole Scrio Rosso IGT

This deep, spicy red was first produced in 1994, and the inspiration for its creation was the desire to produce a 100% Syrah, one of Le Macchiole's favorite grapes. Rare and original and produced in very small quantities, Scrio quickly became a benchmark in Bolgheri. The name of the wine, inspired by a Tuscan expression that means "pure, candid, whole," perfectly describes its defining characteristics.

2017 was definitely a dry and droughty year, with little rainfall and very low humidity levels. The winter season saw very little, if any, rainfall and above-average temperatures. A dry and variable spring weather followed: in March, the above-normal temperatures led to a fast budbreak and growth of the buds and in April the temperatures slightly dropped, making us even fear for frost for two consecutive nights on the second week of the month. On the first week of May, we saw the last rain before harvest time. Temperatures rose again over the following months and remained steady throughout the whole pre-harvest period. Because of such unusual weather conditions, we focused on two main vineyard practices: little working of the soil, in order to preserve the soil's moisture and careful canopy management, including twisting the long shoots on the top wires and removing the secondary shoots, to maintain good foliage density on the vine. During summer 2017, we also had to resort to the use of irrigation systems, both overhead irrigation during the night ( in order to lower the high air temperature around the plants) and surface irrigation during the day. Irrigation operations were repeated non-stop from late June through late August. Harvesting was performed ahead of schedule, as compared with the previous year, giving nonetheless surprising results in terms of freshness and elegance.