Harvest 2023 – Montalcino

Alessandro and Jacopo Mori of Il Marroneto

Rain, downy mildew and hail made for a complicated vintage – particularly for those aiming to follow organic principles in the vineyard, such as Alessandro (left) and Jacopo Mori of Il Marroneto.

A lot has already been said about Italy’s 2023 harvest, with news of widespread, devastating downy mildew attacks during late spring and early summer followed by violent hailstorms.

But while I was visiting producers in Montalcino in October I got a more nuanced picture of the vintage. Before that, a tentative image – the south of the denomination having been luckier than the cooler north on higher elevations...