Harvest July 2005: Cool Start Makes for Spectacular Finish to the 2005 Season

A cool December and a long Indian summer provided Oyster Bay with a stunning 2005 harvest.

December 2004 will be remembered as one of the coolest on record, meaning that flowering was affected and the resulting bunch numbers and berry sizes were smaller than average.

The positive side to this is that not only did a stunning Indian summer follow, but smaller berries and a long growing season equated to excellent flavour development and good pulp to skin ratios for fruit concentration.

Oyster Bay has nothing but praise for the 2005 growing season and the quality of the fruit it delivered.

Marlborough Growing Season

"Marlborough has been a dream run for us" comments Chief Winemaker Michael Ivicevich.

The growing season started warm and dry, enabling good bud burst across all vineyard sites in the Central Wairau and Awatere Valleys. From mid November to early January temperatures were unseasonably cold, with December being one of the coldest on record. The temperatures affected flowering and fruit-set and resulted in lower than average yields across all vineyards.

Warm and dry conditions from January through to harvest were ideal for the accumulation of fruit sugars and benefited the vines by controlling canopy vigour and berry size.

Good weather up until harvest on the 6th of April allowed all vineyards to reach full physiological ripeness, with all blocks harvested in pristine condition over a three week period. This included some young vines from our Dashwood Vineyard in the Awatere Valley and from our Wairau River and Fault Lake Vineyards in the central Wairau Valley.

As the data in figure 1 shows, although December was a cool month, Growing Degree Days or heat summation in Marlborough was slightly above the long term average. A dry season is highlighted by lower than average rainfall figure for the Marlborough Region.

Figure 1: Marlborough Growing Season Heat Summary Data 2002-2005

Sauvignon Blanc is considered nothing short of exceptional according to Michael Ivicevich, showing good acid balance and fully ripe and concentrated fruit with profiles across the tropical spectrum.

Chardonnay from all sites was received in very good condition and with very small berries, providing highly concentrated juice with stonefruit, peach and nectarine flavours.

Our fifth harvest of Pinot Noir was once again excellent, showing good colour, weight and benchmark fruit expression of cherries, plums and black fruits.

Hawke's Bay Growing Season

The season started with a frost alert on our Heretaunga Plains vineyards sites, however this resulted in minimal impact on the vines. Spring was dry and warm, ensuring a good bud burst and bunch numbers across all sites. In December temperatures were cooler than average and some sites were on frost alert. These cool conditions impacted on flowering and reduced the resulting berry and bunch sizes. In late December temperatures returned to normal and started a long, hot and dry summer period, ideal for the veraison period and for the accumulation of fruit sugars. Open canopy management in the vineyards ensured the fruit remained clean during a period of rainfall in late March. At harvest the Merlot fruit was picked in impeccable condition and having achieved full physiological ripeness.

Figure 2 shows that Growing Degree Days in the Hawke's Bay were slightly lower than the long term average given the cool December and rainfall was slightly higher.

Merlot from the Hawke's Bay region has again produced an outstanding result with its intense colour, vibrant fruit, soft tannins and balanced flavour profiles According to Viticulturist Aden Brock, "Crownthorpe Vineyard deserves a special mention. The fruit is incredibly clean, concentrated and something to look forward to."

Figure 2: Hawke's Bay Growing Season Heat Summary Data 2002-2005