2016 Tuscany Vintage

Across Tuscany the growing season began with cool, wet weather. On the coast, a warmer than average winter was followed by normal temperatures in May and June. In Montalcino, May and June were cool with good rainfall, though Banfi agronomist Gianni Savelli recalled fearing a May and June that were too rainy. Flowering was generally good, though cooler than normal temperatures affected fertility in some cases, reducing yields slightly. Hail in May affected vineyards in parts of Gaiole and Castelnuovo Berardenga. In July the weather turned hot and dry. In Chianti Classico, low rainfall at the end of July, during veraison, was the season's only noteworthy event, and the water stress was relieved by rain at the end of August and the beginning of September; heat was steady without extreme spikes in the last month, so the grapes ripened with no overripe or cooked fruit. One rainfall came in mid-August, then 2 inches of rain in mid-September, which the late-ripening Sangiovese took advantage of, followed by beautiful weather with good day-night temperature swings. Merlot picking started at the end of August, and the dry weather prevented its skins from ripening perfectly. In Montalcino, the feared September rains were overcome by heat at the end of the month and by the tramontana wind, which dried the fruit well. Many wineries picked roughly 15 to 20 percent less than a typical crop, while others harvested an average one.

Chianti Classico had an excellent summer, with low rainfall and high temperatures in July and August, and the great night-time temperature shifts led the Consorzio to expect wines of high aromatic levels and excellent acidity. Renzo Cotarella, CEO of Antinori, who harvests in several Tuscan regions, told Wine Spectator of Chianti Classico: "The quality there is unbelievable. I've never seen a vintage like this." Reports from Rocca delle Macie in Castellina and Rocca di Montegrossi in Gaiole confirmed the promise, despite the May hail. Montalcino: the grapes were very different from vineyard to vineyard, since some zones suffered more humidity than others, and the lower zones received more water than the higher ones. Sant'Angelo in Colle had only 25 millimeters of rain, and the tramontana dried the fruit perfectly. Montepulciano: a little more rain than in Montalcino or Chianti Classico fell during September, creating some disease pressure, and a forecast of more rain for the second week of October forced many to harvest. Bolgheri: the coast had a hot, dry summer with rain in mid-August and lower temperatures afterward, and rain during harvest forced the decision to pick. Ornellaia winemaker Axel Heinz likened the year to 2006 and 2008: "2016 was the answer, with the profile of a cooler year like 2006 and 2008, but the vines coped much better with the extreme weather conditions because they are older." Maremma: Carlo Ferrini told WineNews that Tuscany went very well, except for some zones hit by drought in Maremma.

The Consorzio del Brunello di Montalcino rated the 2016 Brunello vintage five stars, the maximum possible score, as it had rated 2015, even though the swings of an irregular season had tested producers. The rating was announced at Benvenuto Brunello in February 2017. In a video shown at the event, enologist Paolo Vagaggini gave the expert team's reasons: frank, clean, fragrant aromas, a strong acid backbone that guarantees long aging, and an intense, lively color, despite a season that did not start well. Carlo Ferrini called the vintage perfect, one of the finest of recent years and not far from 2010 and 2015. Maurizio Castelli said the year stood out for its absence of surprises, with excellent grapes giving wines that are immediate but have enormous aging potential.

Wine Spectator found vintners across Tuscany quite happy with 2016, with many saying quality matched 2015 but the style differed. Alberto Passeri of La Gerla in Montalcino said the season was less uniform and the grape skins thinner and more pliable than in 2015, so the wines are more aromatic and deeper in color, but less structured. In Chianti Classico, the vintage highlights the features of Sangiovese: extract, anthocyanins, polyphenols and concentrated varietal aromas. In Montalcino, Riccardo Talenti called the harvest good for both quantity and quality and expected long-lived wine, and enologist Maurizio Saettini expected a year remembered for intense aromas, lower alcohol and great finesse, noting that growers who waited as long as possible to pick brought in grapes with good sugar and ripeness. Emiliano Falsini told WineNews that in Tuscany the red varieties were rich in acidity, and so in freshness.

The comparison with 2015 split opinion. The Consorzio's October 2016 Montalcino roundup called 2016 an interesting harvest but not an excellent one like 2015, and Giuseppe Gorelli of Le Potazzine described an interesting harvest not at 2015's level, mainly because the grapes were less uniform. Roberto Giannelli of San Filippo said 2015 was easier and without critical moments. In February 2017 the Consorzio gave Brunello 2016 the same five stars as 2015. Across Italy, WineNews found the enologists it surveyed divided on whether 2016 beat 2015, in a patchy year when summer heat was less intense than in 2015. Andrea Mazzoni, a consultant who works mainly in Tuscany, still rated 2015 higher.