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May, 2008
Estate
In April, the hills of Tuscany came to life.
Deciduous trees leafed; fruit trees and flowering shrubs blossomed; wildflowers bloomed; and the swallows returned. The lush green was fed by some much-needed rain, so that the streams bubbled and flowed. Roadside irises waved in the breeze. Click on the thumbnail to the left for a larger view of roadside irises in bloom; then use your Web browser's Back button to return to this page.
And, in the vineyards, the first leaves burst through the buds. Click on the thumbnail to the right for a larger view of the now-leafing vines; then use your Web browser's Back button to return to this page.
Le Miccine's vineyard crew has been hard at work, keeping up with the following schedule of this year's work:
April
 | chemical fertilizing the youngest plants |
| working the ground to remove weeds and grasses with particular attention to the strip "along the row" |
| cutting the grasses that grow between the rows |
| checking and calibrating the spraying equipment |
May
| spraying to control mildew |
| controlling weeds "along the row" |
| working the ground between the rows |
June
| spraying to control mildew |
| treating for Botritis |
| controlling green vegetation and possibly eliminating sterile buds |
| tying the young grapevines |
July
| tying vegetation and beginning of topping on the vineyards in production |
| continuing treatments |
| working the ground between the rows to fight weeds and grasses or to defend during drought |
August
| spraying to control mildew |
| working the ground to control weeds and grasses |
| verifying the quantity of production and beginning of green harvesting to remove excess bunches |
September
| spraying to control mildew |
| completing green harvesting |
| possibly removing leaves that shade grape clusters |
October
| harvesting |
| verifying the state of grasses and weeds and possibly beginning chemical controls |
November
| controlling weeds and grasses |
| treating the fields with organic products |
December
| pruning in the oldest vineyards |
| controlling and repairing the trellising structure |
In addition to the routine work, two plots which were planted in 1970 and 1972 were torn out in late February as the final step in the vineyard redevelopment program that the owners began several years ago. After the spring rains, these plots will be worked to break up big stone and then recontoured in preparation for replanting with new vines in early 2009.
Vacation Rentals
Re
ntal availability is shown on a rental calendar which
can be accessed at
Rental Calendar. There is no availability for nights marked in
red on the calendar; one or more of the apartments may be
available for nights shown in white (the Rental Calendar is updated weekly, and
reservations may have occurred in the interim). Specific apartment availability is
shown below (also updated once weekly).
Both the deposit and final payment for Le Miccine can be made in either U. S. dollars or euros. Especially for Americans traveling to Europe, payment in U. S. dollars can be quite advantageous--there's no exchange fee and there's no currency fluctuation. Guests will know the full cost of their rental at the time of reservation.
In addition, unlike most vacation rentals in Italy, at Le Miccine, there is no charge for central heating between the third week of September and early April; guests control their own thermostats, regulating both the temperature and the hours of central heating.
Availability, 2008
Reservations are currently being taken for 2008. According to Martha Bakerjian, author of "Martha's Italy Travel Blog," Tuscany will be a top travel destination for 2008. Ms. Bakerjian writes:
There is still time to book an apartment at Le Miccine for 2008, although whole-house availability is a bit limited. Specific availability is shown below; guests can also check the Rental Calendar; however the Rental Calendar only shows that one or more apartment may be available--it does not show a specific apartment's availability.
Summer/Early Fall Availability:
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May 31-June 7: Owners' Apartment, Guest Apartment |
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June 7-14: Owners' Apartment; June 7-10, short-term rental available in Guest Apartment |
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July 5-12: Guest Apartment |
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July 26-August 2: Rarely available Studio Apartment; e-mail mail@LeMiccine.com for details |
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August 2-August 9: Owners' Apartment |
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August 9-30: Owners' Apartment, Guest Apartment |
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August 30-September 6: Rarely available Studio Apartment; e-mail mail@LeMiccine.com for details |
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September 6-13: Guest Apartment |
Late Fall/Harvest Availability:
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October 25-November 1: Guest Apartment |
Winter Low-Season Availability:
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November 1-8: Guest Apartment |
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November 8-December 20: Owners' Apartment, Guest Apartment |
Holiday Availability:
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December 20-January 3, 2009: Owners' Apartment, Guest Apartment |
Reservations are also being taken for 2009. For availability, complete the inquiry form on the Vacation Rentals page, or send an e-mail to: rental@lemiccine.com.
Wines and Oil
Le Miccine is pleased to announce its latest accolades:
| Le Miccine has been listed in Luca Maroni’s Top 500 Italian Wine Producers, 2008. In reviewing the2003 Chianti Classico Riserva "Don Alberto," Maroni noted: "The Chianti Classico Riserva Don Alberto 2003 has superior strength and softness, an all-time great [emphasis added] capable of glowing powerful and magnificent and yet enveloping ...." |
Of the more than 350 bottling producers of Chianti Classico, only 31 made it into Luca Maroni's book, and Le Miccine is proud to be in the company of the top 10% of producers of Chianti Classico, and it should be noted that of that group, only Le Miccine and one other farm produced fewer than 20,000 bottles of Chianti Classico.
| John Szabo, Canada's only Master Sommelier and regular columnist for Vines Magazine and The Restaurant News recently reviewed three of Le Miccine's products: |
| 2003 Chianti Classico: Pale-medium garnet red. Old school style red, evolved, smoked meat, dried herb, cherry, savoury, orange peel, pleasant and complex. Dry, juicy, crisp acid but sapid [strong, pleasant; savory] mid-palate flavour, moderate (+) finish. Delicate and polished, saliva inducing. Drink now - 2013. [89 points] |
| 2003 Chianti Classico "Don Alberto": Moderately open; sweet baking spice, cinnamon, mace, red licorice, red cherry tart, spice cranberry, very complex. Dry, firm tannins, moderate intensity, average finish, moderate-high alcohol. [89 points] |
| Grappa di Sangiovese: Clean distillate, high quality. Fresh grappa used here; fennel, oregano, orange blossom. Long Finish. [90 points] |
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