Budburst in Marlborough was once again earlier than normal and the growing season in the Wairau Valley raced off with a frost free start. However, early predictions of a bumper crop were quashed during the coldest December in 50 years, affecting the later flowering varieties, especially Sauvignon Blanc. Cooler than average weather conditions prevailed through most of the summer, bringing the season back from it's early start and putting worried looks on many a winemaker's face. But, the beginning of autumn brought the arrival of a true 'Indian Summer' and the vineyards ripened rapidly under sunny, blue skies.



The season got off to a relatively warm, frost-free start with budburst occurring almost three weeks earlier than normal. Ideal growing conditions prevailed throughout the spring, but with December came wet and windy weather. The unsettled conditions affected the flowering period, resulting in incomplete berry set and consequently low crop levels. The warmth returned early in the New Year and conditions during the remainder of the summer were idyllic. The combination of an early spring, low crops, and warm sunny weather brought on the ripening and - for the first time ever -harvesting commenced at the end of February. Fruit quality was superb and picking was hurried as all vineyards ripened rapidly, but two dumps of rain in late March slowed things down and put a cloud of apprehension over the vintage. Fine weather with low humidity followed the rain, leaving the fruit unscathed and picking resumed in earnest.

The The sauvignon blanc harvest commenced slightly earlier than normal on the 28th of March under settled conditions, the first fruit coming from the stonier, warmer blocks around the winery. Harvesting continued steadily during the month through the progressively later ripening sites, with the last fruit coming in on the 20th of April. Whilst the crops were lower than initially expected, the flavours were superb and all vineyards produced ripe, concentrated fruit of exceptional quality.



The fruit was machine harvested during the cooler night and early morning temperatures and transported directly to the winery. The grapes were de-stemmed and transferred straight to tank presses. Free run and lightly pressed juice was cold settled for 48 hours then racked and inoculated with neutral yeast strains. The fermentations were carried out in stainless steel tanks; after fermentation the wine remained in contact with yeast lees for around two months, prior to blending in July and subsequent bottling in August. Final wine analysis shows an alcohol of 13.5%, pH of 3.11 and titratable acidity 7.4 g/L.