Amongst ourselves, and to some winemaking colleagues, we said we might not make it. Many didn't make it this year. There were a myriad of different challenges and anxieties to overcome and the feeling from November to April was that at any point the crop could be lost. This season more than any other we were ever focused and attentive to what the vineyard needed in response to the incredible weather conditions.
For eight years now we have not used any systemic fungicides. It is now six years since we have applied systemic/chemical sprays for weeds - now we use straw mulch and slashing. We do not use systemic applications to eradicate pests. Our focus has been to promote life forces rather than to apply death to control our vineyard environment. This year we held firm to this regime with the exception of two systemic fungicide applications, the first in eight years, to the foliage in December. There was a temptation to used anti botrytis fungal sprays on the ripening fruit but we had done so much work to have an open, clean, airy canopy we felt more comfortable to take the risk than spray. Also, we dropped 30% of the overall crop on the ground before veraison/ripening as we didn't want fruit on small shoots or in clumps where fruit ripening rates would be compromised and disease would be more likely to develop with bunches touching one another. Also, a larger crop would have required another week to 10 days of ripening and this was clearly not the season to risk exposing the fruit to extra adverse weather events.
As a reward for the hard work April provided some important warm, sunny classic autumnal weather and the flavours and sugars developed beautifully. The pickers were very diligent in removing any fruit not in optimal condition and the quality of the grapes arriving at the winery was quite remarkable. All the pinot noir has been pressed out post fermentation and is resting in barrel. There are still some barrels of chardonnay fermenting. Overall, the volume of wine is very reasonable (30 tonnes from 16 acres/6 hectares) and, whilst clearly early days, the style of the wines looks to be intense and balanced. For this stage the wines are representative of their site and usual style.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
The vineyard is patient. The vignerons must be also.
We have entered a period of nostalgia as we amble through a March that seems more like 1993 than 2011. The fruit is finally veraised. The nets are on. The vines are green. The fruit is exposed and healthy. The crop was thinned by 30% and what remains is calmly awaiting some sunshine. Hope is what we have. And an expectation of some testing weather but some confidence that our vines are able to work through the next four or five weeks to produce a worthy expression of the season and their unique place.
Tasting the three bottled 2010 wines has been a delightful contrast to the shocks of local and global maladies and the difficulty of this growing season. The level of perfume, intensity, fruit purity and harmony that 2010 has delivered is exceptionally pleasing. And the remaining 2010 wines in barrel continue to develop beautifully. Their stories are evolving slowly.
We have entered a period of nostalgia as we amble through a March that seems more like 1993 than 2011. The fruit is finally veraised. The nets are on. The vines are green. The fruit is exposed and healthy. The crop was thinned by 30% and what remains is calmly awaiting some sunshine. Hope is what we have. And an expectation of some testing weather but some confidence that our vines are able to work through the next four or five weeks to produce a worthy expression of the season and their unique place.
Tasting the three bottled 2010 wines has been a delightful contrast to the shocks of local and global maladies and the difficulty of this growing season. The level of perfume, intensity, fruit purity and harmony that 2010 has delivered is exceptionally pleasing. And the remaining 2010 wines in barrel continue to develop beautifully. Their stories are evolving slowly.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Since when was the sub tropics moved to southern Victoria? The cool, elevated Macedon ranges felt like central Victoria for a decade and now we feel like grape growers in Byron Bay. Without the beach, sadly.
Dams that did not fill for a decade have continually overflowed from December to now. Long term, great for the landscape. Short term, a lot of focus on the vineyard with tractor work, shoot removal, fruit dropping, trimming and broken sleep wondering what the rain and humidity is doing to the canopy.
So far the vineyard is healthy and fruit is clean. We will see. The first veraising berry was seen yesterday so we are still 10 days away from getting right into the colour change and sugar accumulation phase. After that we will need around six weeks to achieve ripeness. It looks to be a long, humid, frustrating push to harvest. We will delay putting the bird nets on as long as possible so we can continue to work on the canopy. I was speaking with Stuart Anderson last week and asked if he'd ever seen a season like this in his 50 years of wine life. "Never' was the response. Sure, summer rain events and thunderstorms had highlighted some growing seasons but never the continual humidity and frequency of tropical weather being pushed south.
On a joyous note, we bottled the Composition Chardonnay, Composition Pinot Noir and Pyrette Shiraz from 2010 last Sunday and they are all looking to be of excellent quality. Sure, they now need several months to settle but the harmony and depth of the vintage is very pleasing and come release time in June they will be opening up again. The Quartz, Original Vineyard and Block 5 will be bottled in June and they have wonderful depth and structure.
Dams that did not fill for a decade have continually overflowed from December to now. Long term, great for the landscape. Short term, a lot of focus on the vineyard with tractor work, shoot removal, fruit dropping, trimming and broken sleep wondering what the rain and humidity is doing to the canopy.
So far the vineyard is healthy and fruit is clean. We will see. The first veraising berry was seen yesterday so we are still 10 days away from getting right into the colour change and sugar accumulation phase. After that we will need around six weeks to achieve ripeness. It looks to be a long, humid, frustrating push to harvest. We will delay putting the bird nets on as long as possible so we can continue to work on the canopy. I was speaking with Stuart Anderson last week and asked if he'd ever seen a season like this in his 50 years of wine life. "Never' was the response. Sure, summer rain events and thunderstorms had highlighted some growing seasons but never the continual humidity and frequency of tropical weather being pushed south.
On a joyous note, we bottled the Composition Chardonnay, Composition Pinot Noir and Pyrette Shiraz from 2010 last Sunday and they are all looking to be of excellent quality. Sure, they now need several months to settle but the harmony and depth of the vintage is very pleasing and come release time in June they will be opening up again. The Quartz, Original Vineyard and Block 5 will be bottled in June and they have wonderful depth and structure.
Monday, December 6, 2010
And then the rains came.
After a decade of well below average rainfall we are about to break the 1000mm mark. The decade prior to the long running drought we were used to totals around 750mm. What a remarkable surprise this spring has been. Dams that had not filled since the late 1990s have overflowed several times over. We have completely saturated soils that are so waterlogged we are having troubles getting the tractor into the vineyard. This is a long forgotten problem but given the long, long dry it's a healthy problem to have.
South Eastern Australia has welcomed the rain but less welcome has been the warm, humid conditions that are creating huge disease pressure. We have made many passes through the vineyard by hand to remove water shoots and shoots from the vines' crowns. The canopy is open and airy and any basic sulphur and copper applications are highly effective and we continue not to use any systemic sprays. So far, we have not had any outbreak of mildews. Timing in seasons like this is critical and timing has been made doubly difficult due to the wet ground and frequent thunderstorms and rain events.
The 2010 red wines are nearly through malo and ready for raking off lees. The chardonnays are still on lees and will also be racked in the next few months. The wines are showing a lot of power and intensity with particularly deep, long finishes. It will be very interesting to see their form after racking and being returned to barrel.
Yesterday we noticed the first sign of flowering and today there is a little more widespread. We require warm, even weather during this time and I note the forecast is for thunderstorms and wind. It really is that type of contrary season.
After a decade of well below average rainfall we are about to break the 1000mm mark. The decade prior to the long running drought we were used to totals around 750mm. What a remarkable surprise this spring has been. Dams that had not filled since the late 1990s have overflowed several times over. We have completely saturated soils that are so waterlogged we are having troubles getting the tractor into the vineyard. This is a long forgotten problem but given the long, long dry it's a healthy problem to have.
South Eastern Australia has welcomed the rain but less welcome has been the warm, humid conditions that are creating huge disease pressure. We have made many passes through the vineyard by hand to remove water shoots and shoots from the vines' crowns. The canopy is open and airy and any basic sulphur and copper applications are highly effective and we continue not to use any systemic sprays. So far, we have not had any outbreak of mildews. Timing in seasons like this is critical and timing has been made doubly difficult due to the wet ground and frequent thunderstorms and rain events.
The 2010 red wines are nearly through malo and ready for raking off lees. The chardonnays are still on lees and will also be racked in the next few months. The wines are showing a lot of power and intensity with particularly deep, long finishes. It will be very interesting to see their form after racking and being returned to barrel.
Yesterday we noticed the first sign of flowering and today there is a little more widespread. We require warm, even weather during this time and I note the forecast is for thunderstorms and wind. It really is that type of contrary season.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
The winter was so cold my fingers froze and I was unable to key any blog entries. Well almost, but not quite. Hybernation aside, we have had a brilliant traditional winter of cold and rain. Our dams are nearly full and the vineyard has superb soil moisture to begin the season.
The 2010 wines are still resting at winter temperatures of around 10 degrees but will soon begin to finish their malo lactic conversion (for the reds). Soon enough we will be racking and freshening the wines and getting a good take on their style and quality. At this point 2010 has very good intensity and concentration. Less suppleness than 2008, not the perfume of 2009 but structure and depth from an excellent season.
We have had our recently installed frost fan doing its work the past two nights. The leaves are not yet out however the pushing buds are still susceptible to plunging temperatures and the frigid reality of Spring time frost. Two nights ago we had minus 3.5 degrees 100m outside the vineyard and the fan worked perfectly by drawing down warm air (3.7 degrees at ten meters above ground level) and mixing into with the frosty air. We can expect some more events between now and early November.
The fifth edition of Langton's Classification has come out and we are pleased to have Block 5 and Original Vineyard included amongst the 123 wines. Twenty vintages in we feel we are maturing across the facets of our work and are looking to put our increasing understanding into ever more detailed, focused projects. More on that as it unfolds over the next few years.
For those who are passionate about Burgundy, food and travel please have a look at our friend Jillian Francis' website, www.tastesofburgundy.com. Jillian is working with some exceptionally talented chefs and has trod the ground, descended into the cellars and dined at some of the most inspiring tables in Burgundy to create a hedonistic experience.
The 2010 wines are still resting at winter temperatures of around 10 degrees but will soon begin to finish their malo lactic conversion (for the reds). Soon enough we will be racking and freshening the wines and getting a good take on their style and quality. At this point 2010 has very good intensity and concentration. Less suppleness than 2008, not the perfume of 2009 but structure and depth from an excellent season.
We have had our recently installed frost fan doing its work the past two nights. The leaves are not yet out however the pushing buds are still susceptible to plunging temperatures and the frigid reality of Spring time frost. Two nights ago we had minus 3.5 degrees 100m outside the vineyard and the fan worked perfectly by drawing down warm air (3.7 degrees at ten meters above ground level) and mixing into with the frosty air. We can expect some more events between now and early November.
The fifth edition of Langton's Classification has come out and we are pleased to have Block 5 and Original Vineyard included amongst the 123 wines. Twenty vintages in we feel we are maturing across the facets of our work and are looking to put our increasing understanding into ever more detailed, focused projects. More on that as it unfolds over the next few years.
For those who are passionate about Burgundy, food and travel please have a look at our friend Jillian Francis' website, www.tastesofburgundy.com. Jillian is working with some exceptionally talented chefs and has trod the ground, descended into the cellars and dined at some of the most inspiring tables in Burgundy to create a hedonistic experience.
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