Seasonal progress of the last seven years has spoiled us to the point where it is difficult to accept certain atmospheric adversities. It is undeniable that the summer of 2002 was a fairly anomalous season, cold and rainy, blustery and stormy, but as always it is also true that the life cycle of the vines does not end with the summer; maturation of the grape proceeds into the fall. The hail fell on some of our barbera vines in a fairly light form during the month of June; the grapes affected by it were able to dry out and the damage was only quantitative; however, the continuous alternating periods of great humidity and warmth compromised the possibility of a uniform maturation of the grapes. A positive result was ensured through many phytosanitary treatments, manual defoliation operations to increase air circulation, thinning out the bunches, and a double harvest collection. It was decided right away that the grapes for the Bricco dell’Uccellone, Bricco della Bigotta, Ai Suma and Asso di Fiori (Serra dei Fiori) had not attained the level of quality necessary to sustain the aging process, so, processed separately, they would go to improve the quality of the Monella, Bacialè, Montebruna and Il Fiore.