Harvest Reports

2021 was slightly less sunny than the golden 2020 growing season . Vineyards in the south east suffered a succession of late April frosts which forced greater reliance on secondary buds making for a more drawn out fruit set and ultimately lower yields. Harvest came slightly later than usual, although well inside the range of the last decade, in the second week of October. Bunch weights in the Pinot noir and Chardonnay were good, with phenolic ripeness giving good fruit flavours, especially in the Pinot noir, although sugar levels were at the lower end of the recent range. Good base...

The wettest winter for one hundred years knocking 2014 off its wettest-ever perch kicked off a growing season that has been far from typical.  This has been a year for experienced growers to navigate thoughtfully.From wet to dry in the blink of an eyeMarch brought sunny days, very little cloud cover and slightly above average warm day-time temperatures but with some quite cold nights that continued into April. By the end of the month, when we started planting new vines, we were in drought territory as temperatures reached above seasonal norms into what became a very dry and warm May. ...

April saw average temperatures give way to much warmer conditions in the second half of the month. May was mildly warmer than average. A cool early June saw a warmer than average end. July saw above average temperatures with a heat spike on the continent spreading its warmth into the southern UK with a very warm period in the second half. An average first half of August was followed by significantly above average temperatures in the second half, with warmer conditions for the bulk of September.Bud burst was early in the last week of March / beginning of April. Fruit...

Optimists are saying that 2018 sets the benchmark for wonderful summers to come; the more cynical are already referring to it as a once in a lifetime result. Either way this year the grapes are breaking records with best-ever sugar levels and a cornucopia of quality and quantity. The gods have been smiling.For those focused on the impact of Global Warming: weather volatility was a continuing theme in 2018; from -11.7 Degree Centigrade night time lows at the end of February, to record summer highs of 34 degrees in late July; with an eight week drought thrown in through June...