Bolgheri 2018 vintage report: Graceful wines suitable for the long haul

Take note, all trend-following wine lovers: the Devil drinks Bolgheri 2018.

The 2018 vintage in Italy was indeed a gift from the devil. A naturally lighter vintage from this renowned area on the coast of Tuscany, thanks to a fresh spring and moderate summer, the conditions were perfect for producing perfumed, less extracted and graceful wines.

Bolgheri 2018

The 2018 vintage deserves 4 out of 5 stars, due to the concentration, which albeit lower than normal for Bolgheri, is enough to produce classic wines suitable for the long haul.

4/5

But let’s back up. To understand this harvest, it is necessary to start with the hot and dry 2017 vintage.

Looking back at 2017

As a result of the warm conditions in 2017, there was high fertility for the buds in 2018 which resulted in higher yields. We will come back to this point later. In contrast with past years, the winter of 2017/18 was cold, with temperatures below zero bringing a return to classic climatic conditions and useful winter rest for the vines, also reducing pests.

‘The 2017 spring will be remembered as one of the wettest in history, with three times the seasonal average rainfall and high temperatures in April,’ commented Olga Fusari, Ornellaia’s winemaker.

‘Despite late budbreak,’ she added, ‘the weather conditions and rapid growth of the shoots enabled the vines to catch up and bloom a week earlier than anticipated. For the entire month of May and – to a lesser extent – June, rainfall remained above average and it was only in July that we received some respite with warm and dry conditions.’

Back to 2018, and while July and August were as warm as in 2017 they were not as dry. September also saw temperatures above the average, however the overall balance of the season and the moderate rainfalls of August enabled the vines to recover due to the cooling at night.

Bolgheri performed well

A bright, intense aromatic expression with graceful extraction and outstanding balance seem to be indicative of the vintage. Compared, for example, to the other ageable red wines of Italy – many of which are Sangiovese or Nebbiolo-based, both indigenous grapes – Bolgheri and its international varieties performed well.

In most of the wines you won’t find the nervy character of Chianti Classico or the lean nature of Barbaresco. The sandy soils of Bolgheri help Cabernet Sauvignon achieve its own balance while the moderate temperatures and clay soils allow the Merlot to mature slowly and to be harvested after a longer growing season. In the case of the 2018 vintage, this meant in September instead of August.

The proximity to the sea (just over three miles) and the tight, omnipresent winds here gave the grapes a proper concentration in the lighter vintage. However, in some cases it seems to be that the deliciously leaner character of 2018 was overpowered by higher yields resulting in unbalanced wines.

There were two main factors in favour of higher yields. On one side, the concern about the potential for disease due to the extraordinary rainfalls in the spring encouraged producers to preserve a greater amount of grapes on the vine. On the other side, some producers fought to rebound from the low yields of the previous year caused by drought.

Merlot on the rise

For these reasons, there’s decisive variability (more so than usual) in the 2018 vintage between high-end and emerging producers. Also favoured were those who grow a majority of Merlot, who sought revenge over Cabernet Sauvignon. The supple fruit of the former performed well compared to the firm structure of the latter, giving the wine meat over its bones.

Merlot is on the rise in Bolgheri. According to the Consorzio di Tutela Bolgheri e Bolgheri Sassicaia, the entire area planted to vine within the appellation today accounts for 1,542 hectares (10.8% of the total surface area of the municipality). 88.1% of the planted hectares are dedicated to DOC Bolgheri (1,359 ha), 75.4% of which is for red wines. Just 11.9% of the vineyards are outside of the DOC production.

Compared to 2018 the planted vineyards have increased by 12.6%. Today there are 10.9% more hectares of Merlot compared to 2018 which translates to an increase from 484 to 526.9 ha.

The variety now amounts to 22.2% of the total appellation as of 2021. While easy to write off as another outcome of global warming given that Merlot is an early ripening grape in the Mediterranean climate of Bolgheri, there are several wines that prove the outstanding quality of this variety on the soils of this part of the Tuscan Coast, renowned for the blue clay discovered by André Tchelistcheff in the mid-1980s on which Masseto is produced.

It’s worth noting that both Masseto and Messorio in this vintage are outstanding. Ornellaia was exceptionally blended with a majority of Merlot, a phenomenon never before seen in this typically Cabernet-driven blend.

Despite the enthusiasm for the so-called ‘Merlot vintage’ of 2018, the rising star in Bolgheri is without a doubt Cabernet Franc. In the dry and windy vineyards of this area, there are few challenges with ripening this grape variety. Its distinctly herbal characteristic in Bolgheri lends a tell-tale cedar note to the wines, rarely expressing pyrazines such as bell pepper but rather a touch of bitterness which increases the length of the wines.

Since 2018 Cabernet Franc plantings have almost doubled, increasing by 54.8%, from 158 to 244.6 hectares. Cabernet Franc is a historical component of the most representative wine of Bolgheri: Sassicaia. The 2018 Sassicaia is the 50th edition officially produced by Tenuta San Guido (although the marquise has bottled it since 1948).

Lucky number 8

‘The 2018 reminds me of the 1988 vintage when it was released,’ said Carlo Paoli, the managing director of Tenuta San Guido. ‘It has the same fresh character. This confirms the luck of number 8 for Tenuta San Guido. It’s shown well in 2008, 1998, 1988 and naturally 1968; our debut vintage.’

The graceful style of the 2018 vintage matches quite well with the signature elegance of Sassicaia. This wine is almost always very different from the others of the appellation due to its sinuous nature, as opposed to those more aggressively powerful. This explains why some producers didn’t favour 2018 compared to the more concentrated 2017 or 2019. But the response from consumers, those truly passionate and not simply following trends, offers a different story.

Best buys:

• Le Crocine 57022
• Fabio Motta Le Gonnare
• Poggio al Tesoro Sondraia
• Villanoviana Sant’Uberto

Top wines:

• Sassicaia
• Masseto
• Messorio
• Guado al Tasso
• Ornellaia
  

Bolgheri 2018: 35 wines rated:

Related articles

• Top Tuscan wineries: Ten to visit
• Ornellaia 2018 released for the first time