It was one of the strangest years for us—what began as a spectacular harvest in terms of ripeness and overall quality turned into catastrophe when a tornado struck, tearing off several roofs and toppling rows of vines. The tornado hit on March 10, 2002, when fortunately only about 10% of the harvest remained, affecting part of the Cabernet Sauvignon and a few other late-ripening varieties.

Until that moment, conditions had been excellent: a winter with normal rainfall and cold temperatures provided good soil water reserves, and spring was cool and balanced in rainfall, with October and November precipitation 21% above the climatic average. From December through summer, rainfall was scarce, creating moderate water stress in the vineyards—less than half the usual amount during ripening—while temperatures were normal to slightly warm. This led to an early and concentrated ripening, with outstanding polyphenolic development. Thanks to this advance, by the time the tornado struck, 90% of the grapes had already been harvested.