Le Miccine

The Vineyards

At an average altitude of 380 meters (1,246 feet) above sea level, in the heart of Chianti, Le Miccine's south- and west-facing vineyards are perfectly situated for the production of premium Chianti Classico wines.

As outlined in Black Rooster Wines, written by the Consorzio del Marchio Storico, Chianti Classico:

The Chianti Classico climate is of a continental type, with relatively low temperatures in winter (4-5 degrees C. or 39-41 degrees F.) and dry, hot summers in which it is not rare for the mercury to rise as high as 35 degrees (95F). Temperatures do not vary substantially in the course of a day, which is partly due to altitudes that range from 250 to 600 meters (820 to 2,624 feet) in the Chianti Mountains. The terrains in the zone are just as diverse as the altitudes and the various types of soil characteristic of the Chianti Classico zone bear no relation to the communal boundaries. ... an abundance of fragmented rock in the form of stones and pebbles primarily of limestone is a common aspect of the Chianti Classico zone.

As to meteorological conditions, annual rainfall measures about 700-800 millimeters (28 to 32 inches). Rain falls principally in the late autumn and spring. The characteristics of the climate, terrains and altitudes, which are unfavorable for most crops, have made Chianti Classico a region that excels in the production of premium wines.

Visitors to Le Miccine would likely be surprised to see that the vineyard bed is primarily rock, specifically, alberese -- white marly to conchoidal limestone with clayey and marly schist, which provides the excellent drainage essential for Sangiovese vines. Click on the thumbnail photo at the left for a view of the rocky "soil" at Le Miccine; then use your Web browser's Back button to return to this page.

Vineyard Orientation

In 2000, when the owners of Le Miccine undertook the first replanting of the fields, they engaged the services of Dr. Remigio Bordini, one of the most renowned viticulturists in Italy, to assist them. After considerable study of natural contours, soil composition, wind patterns, drainage, and orientation to the sun, Dr. Bordini recommended regrading and reorientation of several of the plots at Le Miccine. As a result, the largest new Sangiovese fields are now oriented a precise 42.5 degrees west of due south to temper slightly the extreme heat of the Tuscan sun; the Merlot field is oriented 41 degrees west of due south; and the highest Sangiovese and Malvasia nera plot is oriented 15 degrees south of due west, an angle that brings new character to this plot of Sangiovese and brings out the best of Malvasia nera.

Vineyard Training

The current vineyards in production at Le Miccine were planted in 2000 and 2006. The vast majority of the plants are Sangiovese, employing Dr. Remigio Bordini's training, trellising, and pruning system known as "Alberello B." (i.e. Alberello Bordini). Alberello B. applies the most up-to-date scientific knowledge available to produce a limited number of the highest quality bunches of grapes. With some simplification, it can be said that Alberello B. is based on the following principles: 1. Fruit quality and varietal character are maximized by vine competition and yield restriction; 2. Proper exposure of all of the foliage to the sun is essential; 3. Each bunch requires a precise amount of foliage of the right type to ripen and mature to its greatest potential (8 to 10 fully matured leaves to be exact); and 4. The first two buds on each fruiting cane produce the lowest quantity, but highest quality, bunches of fruit. Click on the thumbnail photo at the left for a view of "Modified Alberello;" then use your Web browser's Back button to return to this page.

Le Miccine's vineyards are planted very densely (6000 vines per hectare; 2400 to 2500 per acre) to assure competition among the vines.

The bottom wire of the trellis is set at 60 cm (24 inches) from the ground. Two other fixed wires are set at 90 and 150 cm. A pair of moveable wires is installed, one on each side of the pole, with catch nails at 50, 80, and 140 cm. Together, the fixed and moveable wires encourage the foliage to grow upright and permit a quick "tie-up" just by raising the moveable wire as the canes grow. The spacing between plants along the trellis is only 75 cm, which is precisely calculated to work with the pruning and trellising systems. Basically, each cane is a precise 12.5 cm from the canes next to it, thus assuring complete exposure of each leaf to the sun. The rows have been placed at carefully planned angles to the sun to maximize varietal character and quality (basically a few degrees off due-south or due-west depending on variety and location). The height of the top wire is set at the maximum height to which the canes should grow to produce the required number of leaves, thus facilitating quick and easy pruning of excess growth.

Alberello B. employs a modified head training system that can be viewed as combining elements of the ancient alberello system with improvements on a modern trellising system. Pruning limits each plant to three spurs arranged to create a saddle at the top of the trunk and about 10 cm below the first wire. On each spur, only the cherished first two buds are retained. Alberello B. thus places each producing bud immediately next to the trunk of the plant so that all bunches ripen uniformly, with maximum vigor drawn from the woody trunk, which is limited to a height of 50 cm (20 inches) above the ground. The trellising system places the bunches at 60 to 70 cm above the ground, easily close enough for a lot of reflected heat from Le Miccine's rocky soil.

When in full balance, each of the two canes that emerge from each spur will produce two bunches, the weaker of which will be green harvested. Alberello B. thus leaves six bunches per plant, one per cane, with 8 to 10 leaves per cane. The bunches will be small, with a total production per plant of just under a kilo (about 2 pounds), which is less than 1/3 of the maximum permitted under the DOCG rules.

Small plots of Malvasia nera and Merlot are cordon-trained. The Vermentino, planted in 2006, has not yet been trained to the trellis. The variety in the fields not only introduces wonderful nuances to the wines of Le Miccine, it also creates a beautiful vista for visitors and guests. In the fall, the leaves of the Sangiovese vines turn a soft yellow, while the Malvasia nera leaves turn crimson.

Vineyard Development

Prior to 2008, the oldest vines in production were planted in 1972. All Sangiovese, these vines were originally trained according to the "Tuscan Arch" system that is still widely used throughout Tuscany. Click on the thumbnail photo at the right for a view of the "Tuscan Arch" system; then use your Web browser's Back button to return to this page. Because the "Tuscan Arch" system resulted in uneven ripening and a somewhat "thin" juice, the old vines, where possible, were retrained using a traditional "cordon" system, moving the fruit closer to the ground so that the fruit not only ripens more evenly, but benefits from its closeness to the "wood" of the vine and the reflected heat of the rocky soil. In early 2008, the last of the old fields at Le Miccine were removed as the final phase of a vineyard replanting program. After the soil has been worked very deeply to remove large boulders and to break drainage channels through what remains, the fields will be regraded, reoriented, and replanted. These fields, like all of Le Miccine's new vineyards, will be planted very densely (6000 plants per hectare) to assure competition among the vines and correspondingly high quality.

Vineyard Management

At Le Miccine, the vineyards are lovingly hand-tended by Le Miccine's small crew of vineyard workers. All of the work is under the direction of renowned viticulturist Dr. Remigio Bordini.

Pruning:

Every year, the vines are individually hand-pruned. As stated in Winemaking: From Grape Growing to Marketplace by Vine, Brown, Harness and Wagner, " Pruning is the most important cultural practice in the management of grapes. It is perf

ormed to select superior potential fruiting wood, to maintain vine shape and form for the best sun and wind exposure, and to regulate the number of buds retained per vine." At Le Miccine, the vines are pruned in winter, usually January through March, when the structure of the plant can be readily seen. When long-range weather predictions are for an unusually cold winter, the canes are sometimes left with a few extra buds so that, in the event of frost, only the advanced shoots from the end buds will be affected; these vines will then require a second pruning to remove any excess buds that survived the frost.

Tying:

In the spring, when the sap begins running in the vines and the vines are flexible, the old vines are individually tied to the trellis framework. In the new Alberello B and cordon fields, tying is not required except as necessary to complete training the vine to the trellis or to make minor improvements in the structure of already-trained vines.

Tending:

	Throughout the growing cycle, Le Miccine's viticulturist and farm workers pay close attention to the development of the grapes. About eight weeks after the grapevines bloom, the grapes start to change color, which signals the beginning of the ripening process. On trips through the vineyard, Le Miccine's crew pulls away any dense foliage that is crowding the grape bunches and monitor the health of the vines and ripening grapes. Any problems, abnormalities or special conditions of a particular vintage are reviewed with Dr. Bordini on one of his frequent visits, and corrective action is taken based on his advice.
	At one or more points in the course of the summer, depending on the conditions of the particular vintage, a "green harvest" removes many of the still immature bunches. The goal is to leave only those bunches best situated to mature perfectly and to force the vine to concentrate all of its energy in those few remaining bunches. At Le Miccine, green harvesting, along with initial training and pruning, leads to very low yields (30% to 40% of the DOCG permitted yield) of very high quality fruit.
	As the season progresses, the vineyard crew begins to monitor the ripeness of the grapes, checking the sugar content by taste and, when it gets close to time to harvest, by measuring the percentage of sugar in the grape juice. At this time, oenologist, viticulturist, and owners become involved in regular assessments of the ripening crop and any special steps that may be required as the harvest approaches.

Harvesting:

	Typically, Le Miccine's vineyards reach their peak of ripeness and maturity, and harvest begins, some time between October 5 and October 10, but there have been exceptions, depending on the growing conditions. Le Miccine uses a small, well-trained crew to harvest its grapes, beginning each day's work after the sun and breeze have dried the grapes. The crew uses grape clippers to carefully remove only ripe, healthy bunches and then places them carefully into harvest baskets.
	Full harvest baskets are handed to a crew member for gentle unloading into the trailer that will take the grapes to Le Miccine's cantina to begin the winemaking process. Le Miccine's farm manager and the owners wait at the cantina for the grape bunches, which, on average, were snipped from the vine just one hour earlier. Together, the farm manager and owners give the grapes one final inspection to weed out any unripe or unhealthy grapes that might have been picked by mistake.
	Le Miccine's harvest typically takes about five days, at the end of which the crew celebrates the harvest with a lunch prepared and served by the owners. The crew, the owners, and the owners' family enjoy each other's company and the lunch--served, of course, with the fermented fruits of a previous harvest!