Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2008 Vintage: See Montepulciano for more about this region of Tuscany, Italy.

Consorzio rating: 4 Stars (Excellent).

Antinori vintage report: The climate of the 2008 vintage in Montepulciano and Cortona was characterized by a ten day delay in the ripening cycle of the vine and the grapes compared to recent vintages. This stemmed from abundant spring rainfall along with low temperatures, below seasonal averages.August was warm and dry, but temperatures dipped again in early September, leaving intact the ripening delay of the previous period. This delay in physiological ripening lasted through the entire phase of the vine cycle for such late-ripening varieties as Prugnolo Gentile as well. In conclusion, the maturation of the La Braccesca grapes was a long, gradual, and balanced process, but one which concluded positively thanks to a late September and early October rise in temperatures which assisted in achieving perfectly healthy grapes, well suited – above all in terms of fragrance and elegance – for the production of high level wines.