Central Otago - Finding the perfect dozen
The Central Dozen isn’t about finding the “shiniest examples” of Central Otago Pinot Noir, says Felton Road Winemaker Blair Walter of a new annual selection programme.
"We'll have no trouble making the top tier wines." Speakinf from home isolation on 12 March, having caught Covid in the first week of vintage, Chris says the handpicked Chardonnay for the premium programme is all but complete, "and the quality of the fruit has been just amazing". With good flavour ripeness at relatively low brix, they chose to pick reasonably early, he says. "We're quite happy getting stuff in around 21 brix; we haven't been pushing things too hard because we were a little bit worried about things blowing out and looking too soft and amorphous." The reds are looking "fantastic" as well, Chris says, expecting to end his isolation in time to check Merlot around 15 March.
The low yields are thanks to a combination of last year's low sunshine hours, reducing potential fruitfulness of the vines, as well as poor weather over flowering in spring, cutting yields even further. He has also heard stories of some blocks yielding particularly poorly after cyclone-struck growers left fruit on the vine in the 2023 harvest, potentially compromising carbohydrate stores.
A couple of quick "southerly cold flicks" came through in March, including an unexpected drop to 1.4C at Bridge Pa, which put the brakes on the rapid ripening of Chardonnay, giving hand picking teams a reprieve, Chris says. "Other varieties like Merlot didn't seem to blink an eye." The fine weather has been a welcome change from a series of challenging seasons, culminating in last year's cyclone-affected vintage, he adds. "From a quality standpoint at least, there are a lot of happy winemakers and viticulturists around the region at the moment."
Growers are less buoyant, with low tonnage a blow after recent rain-affected seasons. "Whilst we are celebrating the harvest, it's a difficult season for some," says viticulture consultant Ollie Powrie. "It's an incredible harvest from a quality point of view, but it has been tempered by the fact that yields are so low... I think everyone is excited to see such quality coming off their vineyards but they wish there was more of it."
One grower explained that their Chardonnay crop was entirely uneconomic this year, "but he still said he was pleased it was going to someone who would make a great wine", Ollie says. "They have spent the year working and if they break even, they'll be lucky." He's also concerned to see growers with unsold Syrah and Merlot this year, and is hoping the high-quality fruit won't go to waste because of sluggish demand for those varieties. Harvest started at the end of February, for blocks that would normally be picked around 10 March, thanks to low yields teamed with excellent canopies from a wet spring, Ollie says. "That's the perfect recipe for ripening the grapes faster, and the flavours are sensational."
