The 2022 vintage for Michele Chiarlo
2022 will definitely be remembered as a challenging year in terms of climate: high temperatures, a long summer with scarce rain and the resulting serious water crisis.
In the middle of the harvest, Stefano Chiarlo – enologist and vineyard manager who leads the winery together with his brother Alberto and his father Michele – makes an assessment of the season, considering climatic challenges, operations in the vineyard and offering a forecast on the future of this vintage.
“We can briefly define the 2022 vintage as: warm and dry. The challenging climatic conditions resulted in an early harvest of approximately 10/15 days for all varieties.
At the moment, it incredibly recalls 2017; it is clearly too early to tell for certain but, unlike 2017, we will surely have well-balanced wines with not excessively elevated alcoholic content, instead revealing remarkable roundness, structure and complexity.” – says Stefano Chiarlo.
“The most critical areas were Monferrato and Barbaresco, which were decidedly drier; whereas Barolo and Gavi have benefited from some stormy phenomena, leading us to expect fresher wines and regular yields. Fortunately, none of our vineyards has been hit by hail, although we have witnessed sporadic episodes”. – adds Stefano Chiarlo.
“The water shortage we experienced was deeply alarming: only 400 mm of rain fell compared to the 950 mm of the previous year (-60%). After the harvest, we are hoping for more rainy autumn and winter seasons in order to accumulate adequate water reserve for next year.”
“Extreme weather conditions are becoming very frequent: aside from the one we just experienced, we can also mention 2011, 2017 and 2019. Honing the skill of making targeted choices has been crucial in the vineyard. Change is becoming highly persistent, and the effects are mainly endured by the crus, the highest expression of our terroir. By nature, they are the most exposed to the sun e we protect them by carrying out extremely careful operations.” – explains Stefano Chiarlo.
“The challenge is to be more resilient and face the situation by combining skill and good practices. For example, we use anti-hail nets that, aside from fulfilling their main function, offer shade to the vines facing south, south-west. Also, we leave the greenery intact to protect the bunches, delay thinning and anticipate harvest. Lastly, the approval of the waiver presented by the Regione Piemonte to allow vineyard irrigation has been essential. It is a move that must be exclusively used in case of emergency, but we are satisfied of the result and are adopting it in a sustainable way to regain rainwater in reservoirs and small ponds.”
– says Stefano Chiarlo. Experience and sensitivity are key elements in adopting accurate agronomic practices to face challenging climatic conditions without affecting the product’s balance and quality.
This year, wine production must not only deal with nature but, to further complicate the situation, also with the instability brought about by global economic and political situations: the price of electricity and materials has considerably increased and finding supplies has also become incredibly difficult. “Supply planning has totally changed: currently, orders must be placed at least 6 months in advance.”
“Regardless of the situation, our grapes reveal excellent quality. The vine, with its deep roots, and careful vineyard management have prevailed upon the adverse climate. We are sure that 2022 will be a surprising vintage.” – concludes Michele Chiarlo, owner of the winery.