2015 Harvest Report

 By now I am sure that many people having an association with the world of wine will be aware of the significantly earlier 2015 South African grape harvest.   The reasons are many, but principally an earlier, drier, warmer spring provided vines with ideal conditions to grow unhindered, resulting in a season so early, even seasoned vignerons were left scratching their heads.

The drier than usual conditions resulted in quite low vine vigour, perhaps further enhanced by depleted vine resources on the back of a bumper crop last year. This low vigour had the positive effect of naturally managing canopies to be more open, and smaller than usual bunch weights. The open canopies contributed to the very ripe flavour spectrum of most varieties at significantly low sugars, to the point we thought on more than one occasion that there was an error with either our berry sampling or our analyses. The smaller bunch weights were mostly the result of smaller berries, and although there is some conjecture here, I like to think this contributed to the wonderful richness and intensity of 2015’s flavours. Not that it’s a very sexy topic, but pH deserves a mention with some very low numbers (which is a good thing) being recorded. I would say on average that the pH values we recorded at Mulderbosch were 0,2 lower than usual. It may not sound like much, but its effect on wine is significant. Talking of significant, 2015 saw a long standing maximum temperature record smashed, with a positively Hadean 46,7°C recorded at the Stellenbosch airfield on the 3rd March. The previous record of 42,7°C was recorded in the summer of 1969 at Cape Town airport. This was a freaky occurrence, with the average temperatures for the season actually remaining quite moderate for the duration of the season.

 

 

Below are some of my thoughts on the general character of each variety we’ve processed this year, and I am confident to add that it seems to be a very good to great vintage across the board for the South African industry this year.The mood is one of excited anticipation for the due release of each producer’s ‘big-guns’, so get ready! Chenin Blanc Star of the vintage in many respects with succulence and fresh fruit flavours coupled with super acidity due to the early picking dates. Even the slightly riper Chenins have this balance, whichis not usually the case. Sauvignon Blanc A year of very pungent aromatics and huge concentration of flavour on the palate. We aim for a slightly riper style with loads of texture, and this year I think we have accomplished just that, the acid being perfectly balanced. Semillon We aim to harvest quite a ripe style for inclusion in our Faithful Hound White, and this year (which is rare for Semillon) we actually achieved 23 Brix from one of the blocks we use. More amazing was the still vibrant acidity and low-ish pH for this normally acid-poor variety. Chardonnay I am very excited for the quality of Chardonnay this year. Most of our blocks were harvested early, so have quite low alcohols, but we have no shortage of texture and richness of flavour. Personally I believe this is a vintage to cellar and watch over the next decade or more.

 

 

Merlot We jumped in early with the Merlot harvest this year, taking a bit of a gamble as it was almost three weeks earlier than last year, but it paid off in the end. For Merlot lovers everywhere, this is the year to stock up, as the earlier vintage resulted in lovely freshness and aromatic expression. The texture, chocolate imbued aromatics and wonderfully savouryflavours make this an exciting vintage for the variety. Cabernet Franc This variety also benefited from the early season, and we have several excellent batches showing wonderful aromatics and expressing lovely rich chalky texture which I find synonymous with the variety. Cabernet Sauvignon Every now and then you get one of ‘those’ Cabernet Sauvignon vintages, and this is one of them. I expect we’ll be enjoying these wines well into the next decade, and although many of them are ripe and powerful, they seem all to have a level of freshness that bodes well for their maturation in bottle.

 

 

Malbec Since starting to work with Malbec in 2008, this is the most promising vintage I have yet experienced. Notably for me, berry size was significantly smaller, and on monitoring the ripeness of the fruit, it was almost as if someone flicked a flavour switch from one moment to the next, making it really easy to decide on harvest date. Normally I find this one of the most difficult varieties to call. Petit Verdot As with the other red varieties, Petit Verdot fared well this year, with very intense violet aromatics and no lack of colour or tannin, yet not in an aggressive way as can be the case. Our best batches show velvety tannins and very attractive, inky black colour. Rosé Each year we work with our team of grape suppliers for the Rosé it just seems to get easier to make this wine. The biggest single hurdle in terms of continuity of style is to manage the harvest date, and we seem to have reached a point where everyone knows just when to pick. Watch out for a cracker of a wine this year. A touch lighter in colour, tending to a ripe watermelon hue, with fresh strawberry and cherry aromatics, as well as a floral lift. The acid is vibrant and the finish long, so from where we stand it ticks all the right boxes! Adam Mason