Newsletter September 2023 - Harvest Update
It’s now been around 2 weeks since we picked the last grapes. It was some hectic 5 weeks of harvesting and now finally the team can breathe (a bit) again… Some busy months awaits still in the cellar finishing vinifications, blending our reds from last year in order to empty the barrels for our new reds and slowly starting looking at our white and rosé blends that yo will receive in the spring.
The last newsletter from us was sent out a couple of weeks into the harvest so let us here give you a full overview:
Grapes picked:
August
1st: 2676kg Pinot Noir (for rosé)
2nd: 5.322kg Pinot Noir (for red)
3rd: 410kg Pinot Noir (for rosé)/1.857kg Chardonnay
4th: 4.492kg Pinot Noir (for red)
7th: 9.726kg Chardonnay
8th: 6308kg Sauvignon Blanc
9th: 7633kg Viogner
10th: 2995kg Viognier
14th: 3711kg Pinot Noir (for red)/3345kg Merlot/1770kg Giro Ros
15th: 3095kg Merlot
16th: 2064kg Merlot
17th: 2447kg Cabernet/1850kg Giro Ros/2228kg Viognier
18th: 531kg Giro Ros
21st: 4000kg Syrah
22nd: 7023kg Grenache (for red)/4928kg Grenache (for rosé)/3860kg Syrah
23rd: 1115kg Manto Negro
24th: 853kg Manto Negro/908kg Cabernet
25th: 4018kg Grenache (for red)/2190kg Grenache/3754kg
29th: 638kg Cabernet
31st: 5506kg Cabernet
September:
6th: 8227kg Callet
7th: 6781kg Merlot
So a total of 35.000 kilos of white grapes 85.000 kilos of red grapes! - and here a total of 120.000 kilos.
As mentioned in our last update, we again this year, and even more so than last year, decided to do several different fermentations for most of our varieties. This is to create varied bases for even more exciting blends.
Also; partly inspired by our guest winemaker Peter Work, we decided to let 2 tanks ferment with natural yeast, both for rosé. One of Pinot Noir and of Grenache and it went better than we could have dreamed of! We also let a part of our Giro Ros ferment naturally and even on the skins with pipeage done by feet! So we indeed this year experimented more and we already now see that it is carrying amazing results with.
We were a bit afraid of not adding cultured yeast as our cellar is no new, and thus we did not know if we had sufficiently powerful “environment” for the natural yeast to function. As you know we love to keep things squeaky clean and bacteria like yeast prefers slightly more “natural” surroundings, but it went really well!.
Another reason for being a bit unsure about letting some of wines ferment naturally is that when using only nature’s own yeast cultures you really don’t know which ones you get! Yeast bacteria live wild everywhere in Nature and we do not (yet) know which yeast strains/cultures are present in our vineyards and cellar. As you can read more more about in our library post about fermentation, they have a huge impact on the finished wine’s flavour, so using whatever Nature gives you is a bit like playing roulette! At least until you know what is living out there in your vineyards and if it functions the way you ideally want it to.. But in our case it seems like we got lucky!
We are overall super happy about the quality this year and despite a very dry growing season and some issues with Flavescance Dorée ( a disease spread by the green leafhopper)
When tasting the grapes coming in and also the young wines it becomes clear that our vines are clearly growing up and finding more and more balance each year. Also, us a team are getting to know them, and ourselves and each other, better and all in all that is the way we create that extra magic that makes wine so special. That unique connection between man and land… And the way we interpret the bounty of fruits it gives us and turn them into beautiful wines that soon will bring smiles all the way into your homes wherever in the world you are.
...... so you can look forward to our 2023 wines once they are ready next year.
Bibi, Julia, Joan, Marie og Søren
