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A good vintage throughout the region
Weather Conditions
A warm sunny spring provided ideal conditions in Tuscany for flowering and fruit set and laid the basis for a large crop. The summer was hot and generally dry, although there was enough rain in most places to avoid the problems of drought which occurred in 1985. The grapes were picked in good weather conditions, in most parts of the Tuscany region slightly earlier than usual.
Best Appellations
Although not as concentrated as the five-star vintages of the 1980s, the 1983s were extremely elegant, balanced wines with lovely fruit and aroma. Results were very uniform across the region. There was a significant production of Chianti Classico Riserva, which although it tended to peak fairly early developed very well in the bottle. Brunello and Montepulciano had similar profiles, with a bit of extra body.
Best Producers
Producers who thinned the crop in July with the intention of making Riserva styles turned out the best wines. In Chianti these included Castello di Ama (Vigneto San Lorenzo) and the archetypal boutique winery Capanelle. It was the debut vintage for Felsina’s Fontalloro and Vigneto Rancia. At Montalcino Biondi Santi made one of the estate’s best wines of the decade and there was also good Brunello from Banfi, Case Basse and Poggio a Vento.
