Barolo DOCG Riserva 2008 by Borgogno (Italian Red Wine)

General weather conditions for the 2008 saw a return to considerably more normal rhythms. Budding was not particularly early, spring began regularly and all things considered the weather was average for the season, with good shoot growth and no late frosts. However a month of exceptionally unstable weather began in mid-May, with heavy rains almost every day. The frequency and quantity of precipitation decreased in the second half of June, and the ensuing summer was quite wet and cool. Ripening phases began much later than in 2007 and developed much as they did in 2004. Luckily from the end of August there was a long period (over 50 days) of stable weather, often sunny and without significant rains. Temperatures were mild during the day and cool at night. This helped make up for much lost time, and good and very good results were achieved everywhere. The health of the grapes harvested in the was excellent. The good weather allowed all the harvesting operations to be completed in good time, and it was possible to choose the best possible moment to pick each grape. Winemaking: floating cap fermentation for about 2 weeks at controlled temperature ( at first 22-25° C and at the end of the fermentation 29-30°C) and subsequent submerged cap maceration for 30 days. Ageing: six years in Slavonia oak barrels with a further refining in bottle of 12 months.