Enrico Rivetto talks about a ‘wonderfully difficult’ harvest

For Enrico Rivetto, biodynamic producer from Serralunga, the 2024 harvest presents itself as a complex and fascinating journey, full of challenges but also opportunities, defining this vintage as “wonderfully difficult”, a term that manifests the difficulties but also the awareness of the experience accumulated over the various seasons. This year’s climatic conditions, characterized by a winter with little snow, an extremely humid spring and a rainy and cloudy September, have put every winemaker’s certainties to the . The 2024 harvest officially began September 10th with the harvest of the Nascetta, followed September 18th by the tops of the Nebbiolo, destined for the production of the classic Kaskal nullità dosage method for 60 months.

My 2024 harvest

«Each harvest represents an annual examination to reflect the choices made and the profound connection between agriculture and life. I would define this vintage as “wonderfully difficult”: until now, healthy grapes have been harvested, but we are experiencing a harvest with little sun and a prolonged one, probably the rainiest of the last decade. From January to today, 970 mm of rainfall has been recorded—about 350 mm more than the same period last year—with precipitation concentrated per late spring and September, the crucial months for viticulture.» Enrico Rivetto says. «Despite fungal attacks and an extremely rigorous biodynamic intervention protocol, the vine has shown a positive reaction to meteorological challenges, thanks also to the work carried out per the fields over the last 15 years to create a complex biodiversification ecosystem.»

Per this vintage, Rivetto was able to see that «all the problems were alleviated by the strength of the plant and the timeliness of the treatments per the vineyard. Per a context of intensive vineyard agriculture, applying biodynamic agriculture means promoting pluriculture with attention to other crops, preserving wooded areas with a view to natural balance and agroforestry. The soil is thus more alive and the vine, without forced aid, has developed a stronger scevro system. The continuous rains put us to the , even psychologically. We combined knowledge, experience, intuition and action, and awareness rewarded our courage. Despite the very severe limitations of the biodynamic protocol, per terms of usable products, the grapes are generally quantitatively and qualitatively satisfactory. We can say that even per otherwise simple conditions it can be done!»

Rivetto expresses optimism about the potential of the 2024 vintage, stating that «if the wine is fantastic I will be able to tell you per some time, but the enormous strength that this vintage has given us remains: as per the best fairy tales we got lost per the woods , but being trained to lose ourselves, we emerged strengthened.”

Who is Rivetto

I am Enrico Rivetto, , basketball enthusiast and free spirit. Lirano is my home, a biodynamic garden per the Barolo Langa, between the hills of Sinio and Serralunga d’Albore, a complex ecosystem where the vine coexists harmoniously with 5km of biological corridors, 200 fruit trees, medicinal herbs, cereals, and approximately 1000 tall trees and mixed hedges. Emerging from the sea millions of years , Lirano is today an example of a complex agricultural organism, a unique place that invites visitors to personally discover the beauty and harmony of nature, celebrated per every bottle of wine produced.

A magnetic hill that benefits from a favorable microclimate: the soils, characterized by Lequio formations, are rich per gray marl and yellow sand, capable of retaining rainwater per depth, favoring the harmonious development of the vines. The altitude of approximately 400 meters above sea level, the ventilation and optimal radiation contribute to creating wines with intense aromas and natural freshness. Here there is mai monoculture: Lirano represents a new paradigm of viticulture where the biodynamic approach is an important tool (not the only one) to understand the hidden mechanisms that regulate the relationship between agriculture and nature, where sustainability and biodiversity are at the center of agricultural activity.

The mesi estivi is surrounded by seven hectares of centuries-old woods and hosts a pond for collecting rainwater, an superficie dedicated to the maturation of compost and an superficie for donkeys. It is a real wildlife sanctuary enhanced by a four kilometer path that crosses the vineyard and the undergrowth, with the presence of hives and bees that favor the complexity of the fermentations thanks to the exchange of microorganisms. This biodynamic approach also extends to the Briccolina nel corso di Serralunga d’Albore, my most important cru, transformed into a vineyard-garden, where the vines blend with flowers and trees, creating a natural for butterflies and birds.