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It’s one of my favourite times of the year when I get to sample the wine which has been sitting patiently for 10 months in new and used French Oak.

You always hope for the best, but the truth is you never really know precisely how they’ll turn out. A lot can happen during those months and one expects there to be taste variation between different barrels of different ages, cooperage and even the forest from where the oak was sourced; not to mention subtle differences between clones and vineyard aspect. Throw in the variations of an open fermentation and the possibilities are endless.

So, before we blend the wine components into tank,  we have a blind tasting and deduce which barrels are stand out and which perhaps are marching to a different beat.

It’s an exciting, but also fearful moment as you really get the opportunity to see what all the hard work and patience is all about.

This year we had ten barrels to sample (one year we had 64!). One of the principle aims is to see if there are vast variations between the barrels. If this is the case, I would take the top ones for the ‘Uley Vineyard’ Pinot Noir (formally our  Reserve Pinot Noir) and blend the rest into a non-Reserve release (formally the Bonython).

In a perfect winery universe I’d like all barrels to become the ‘Uley Vineyard’ Pinot Noir.

Fortunately it appears, certainly for this vintage, I am living in a perfect winery universe. The variations across all ten were very slight. Colour, perfume, length and tannin structure were all fairly similar. Some slight acidity differences but in all very promising notes – as such all will go to the 2017 ‘Uley Vineyard’ Pinot Noir.

Quite a relief to see the tasting produce such excellent results and I look forward to seeing how all ten work together – balancing any subtle differences or disputes they may have had as individuals.

There comes a time once each year where a series of foliage wires need to be “lifted” to achieve vertical shoot positioning.

It’s back breaking work and not for the unfit, working in the sun and lifting heavy vigorous tangled canes laden with fruit.  Not only do the wires need to be lifted, but the tangled canes need to be separated from each other in order to allow the bunches to be appropriately exposed to the sun and breezes of the Piccadilly Valley.

It can take an entire morning, or longer, to complete just one row of vines.

The process is important however as by lifting the wires you ensure vertical shoot growth. The vertical positioning is critical in establishing good canopy to protect the developing fruit, even more so once veraison takes hold (the stage in the annual growth cycle of the grapevine where the grapes soften and begin to develop sugar).

But it’s not all bad. The long hours and strenuous work provide me with the opportunity to really get a feel for what the vintage will be like. This year is looking good with excellent healthy growth and no signs of disease.

In conducting this essential exercise, I can only hope for overcast days and gentle breezes to accompany me as I work my way along the undulating hills and rolling vines.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work that way – the exercise always seems to be due at the hottest time of the year.

Enough chatting, I’ve had my iced cordial and I still have three rows to finish before day’s end and then onto the next block.

Wow that went fast. One minute you’re thinking about weathering the hail to step outside into the vineyard to prune, the next you’re harvesting, then bottling and wondering when you’ll get a chance to catch your breath as the vines beckon you to attend them again – I wouldn’t have it any other way; those demanding but delicate friends are worth every cut, blister, heartache and sleepless night. That said, the year has come around, as often it does, and it’s important to mark the moment, take a breath, open a bottle and celebrate all that has passed and all that will come.

I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome the new year and all that it may bring and say thank you to all of you who’ve supported Barratt Wines over the many years we’ve been producing and providing hand-crafted cool climate varietals; whether you’ve just joined us, or you’ve been part of the story over the last thirty years, I say thank you.

Next year holds lots of promises and exciting prospects are presenting themselves throughout the vineyard and I really look forward to sharing them with all of you, as I hope you do with each other.

Take care over the holidays, and note that our cellar door hours will adjust slightly. We’ll be open on Saturday the 23rd of December but then closed on Sunday the 24th. However, we’ll reopen on Saturday the 30th of December but will close again for New Years Eve on the 31st.

Again, I wish you and your loved ones well and hope you celebrate the festive season with vigor, laughter, love and of course – Pinot Noir.

All the best.

Lindsay & Wendy.

 

 

The last time we spoke about Rosé we spoke of special occasions and moments where baking cakes were involved. Well, it seems that no matter how many times I tried to slice it there just weren’t enough pieces to go around.

Bone dry with savory notes and a strawberry bouquet it was seductive, so much so that we sold out within weeks of release.

Note to self: next time bake a larger cake.

This vintage I’m planning to double the production and use some of the Pinot Noir from the vines running through the middle of the vineyard which I believe will produce the same wonderful characteristics established  in the Rosé produced this year, a delicately balanced mineral and fruit ensemble with playful flavours and a serious finish; the thinking man’s Rosé.

Initial release will be through the cellar door and online only.

As every sun rises it must also set, but the beauty of it is that inevitably it will occur again and again and again. Each rise subtly different from the next, but held together by a common thread of colour, flavour, length and love.

 

The Adelaide Hills Wine Show is the most prestigious wine show of the region and represents hundreds of producers and winemakers alike. It’s a great chance to see what’s going on in the region and sample a variety of vintages from a large cross section of varietals.

I was pleased that we received medals for all three of our entered wines: a silver medal for the 2015 ‘Uley Vineyard’ Pinot Noir  while the 2015 Piccadilly Valley Chardonnay & 2017 Sauvignon Blanc were both awarded Bronze. The competition was stiff, but I was happy with the result and to be recognised by my peers throughout the region.

The award winning 2015 Pinot Noir is currently only available through the cellar door or our online store. So now the weather has become more accommodating to scenic drives through the wonderful Adelaide Hills, drop through the cellar door and enjoy the garden, the platters, the company and of course the real star of the show – the wine. Else click on the bottle and explore the options of having it delivered directly to you.

 ♦♦♦♦♦♦

 Uley Vineyard Piccadilly Valley Pinot Noir 2015

“32 year old vines, destemmed, 35% whole bunches, open ferment, cultured yeast after 5 days cold soak, 12 days on skins, matured in barriques (22% new) for 10 months. The highly fragrant and flowery bouquet is a Siamese twin with the lively, juicy palate complexity and length from the whole-bunch component. A seductive wine that grew and grew on retasting”. –  James Halliday’s 2017 Wine Companion

It only seems like yesterday that the vines were being pruned and laid bare across the valley.

Now, with the foliage established, a glimpse underneath reveals the beginning of what its all about, the fruit. The vineyard is in top condition and I can sit back for a moment or two and just let the vines get on with it. The emergence of new fruit is always exciting and as with all juveniles,  with each day they reveal more and more possibilities.

With vintage still some months away I’ll turn my attention to the winery and preparation details to receive the fruit once harvested. But in the mean time, I’m enjoying walking through the vines and peering beneath the foliage at the fruit and wonder the outcome.

“Anticipation” the word of the moment.

Spring is always the most stubborn of seasons and more often enters by dragging its feet – kicking and screaming. It seems to always have to fight so hard to shake winter loose and gain control and this year was no exception.

With the warmer weather the vines are reacting to all the hard work of being hand-pruned. Buds are developing nicely and the new shoots always fill me with joy and the anticipation of a new vintage begins. It’s great to see life sweep across the vineyard after the vines have stood for months still and naked. There’s a moment of excitement as possibilities swirl and multiply as no one knows just how it will all finish up, hopefully well.

There’s still a little cleaning up to do after the pruning but all in all the vineyard is looking groomed and ready. Fingers crossed, lets hope for another great vintage.