Sassicaia 2012 Magnum

The climate for the 2012 vintage was rather special. Autumn and Winter were long and cold, to the point that at the end of January the Bolgheri hills were covered with snow. Bolgheri experienced a cold, yet rainless fall and winter, which was not the case for other parts of Tuscany. Cold temperatures were favorable for the halting of the vegetative growth and the natural elimination of some pests of the vine. The spring started with a slight delay, causing the vines to bud 10 - 15 days later than the seasonal average. From the beginning of May, however, the temperatures rose and accelerated the arrival of summer.
June rainfall partially reconstituted the water reserves of the soil. The summer was very hot, with sunny days and temperatures above the seasonal average. Although some have likened the summer of 2012 to that of 2003, the difference lies in the considerable fluctuations in temperature between night and day which prevented water stress in plants in 2012. During the fruit set period, strong sea winds were partially responsible for a production loss of about 10%. The summer was long, with very high daytime temperatures requiring an early harvest of part of the Cabernet.