Early spring to verasion was unseasonably cool and wet in the Hawkes Bay, making us 2-3 weeks behind an average year in the growing cycle. Canopy management was critical in getting air into the grape clusters, to ease any disease pressure. The rain eased off from early march, and we experienced an Indian Summer right through until the end of May. We saw flavours develop early which allowed us to harvest at optimum ripeness and tannin development. Overall a challenging but good quality vintage from the Hawkes Bay.
VINEYARD
Parcels of fruit in Hawke’s Bay were sourced from Mendoza vines. The soil at the vineyard sites is a mixture of free-draining gravels from the old riverbed, and calcareous soils from the surrounding limestone hills and river terraces. The fruit was harvested at peak maturity and came into the winery clean and ripe with high brix, and most importantly, excellent concentration of aromatics and flavours.
WINEMAKING
The juice was fermented at a cool temperature to retain the fresh fruit character and maintain the clean crispness of the resultant wine. The ferments were stopped to retain natural sweetness, and then matured on its yeast lees.
WINEMAKER'S NOTES
Melon and pear mingle on the nose, while the palate has a creamy texture integrating rockmelon and red grapefruit leading to a crisp fresh finish.
