The Vineyard Diaries

2007 Harvest at Welcombe Hills

Two months of rain changed everything and led to the poorest fruit set on record. By August the weather had begun to move towards a more favourable climate, and September and October have been perfect. Thanks to Mike Garfield, our contract sprayer, the vineyard suffered no mildew or botrytis. The final result will only be known when we begin tasting the wine, but despite quantities being hugely down - some 50% less than 2006 - quality is excellent across all the grapes. The Pinot Noir Precoce illustrates well this quality, with a sugar level of 91oe (which converts into 12.5% alcohol) and 9.1ppm acid - this is the kind of balance one would wish for every year. Cropping the Auxerrois and Chardonnay for the first time has also proved a success, both in terms of a reasonable fruit set and ripening. Having had such success with Pinot Noir, we thought to trial the Chardonnay with only minimal expectations but here we are in the first season with the makings of a characterful blanc de blanc (methode traditionelle made only with Chardonnay).