Marlborough Express - Weekend Express
Vintage’ best in generation
‘‘‘It’s the best I’ve seen in my 41 years of growing grapes. Across all varieties, the compositional balance is excellent.’’
ario, especially in the country’s largest region, Marlborough.
‘‘The possibility of an outbreak in the valley was a real concern,’’ said Ivan Sutherland of Marlborough’s Dog Point Vineyard. ‘‘That’s exactly what happened during South Africa’s harvest and their industry was shut down for a week.’’
Loneliness, a feeling he’d never experienced during vintage, was something that set 2020 apart for Esk Valley winemaker Gordon Russell in Hawke’s Bay.
‘‘I left home and lived by myself in a campervan outside the winery right through harvest. We all did.
‘‘As a big winery [Esk Valley, part of the Villa Maria group, shares the facility with other brands], we decided to have three eight-hour shifts. Each shift was entirely separate from the other two – it had its own shed space, social room and so on. The idea was that if one shift got infected, the other two could manage.’’
Used to working at least 12-hour days over vintage, Russell found himself with more time on his hands.
‘‘Two things made it bearable. I went for a walk every day and foraged for mushrooms and other things in the fields. And I brought my golf clubs and set up a makeshift driving range. A lot of people were jealous… that I had something to do.’’
What also made it bearable was the fruit that came off the vines. Like a compensatory act of kindness, in 2020, nature delivered grapes of remarkable quality to wineries up and down the country.
‘‘It’s one of the greatest of my entire life,’’ judged Russell. ‘‘From chardonnay through to cabernet, it’s an absolutely killer vintage.’’
‘‘It’s the best I’ve seen in my 41 years of growing grapes,’’ said Sutherland. ‘‘Across all varieties, the compositional balance is excellent.’’
The questions now are: How was this fine crop handled by winemakers? Were they able to make the best wine possible from it?
Years ago myself and another wine journalist were discussing a talented French winemaker. We both agreed she (the winemaker) was a highly-strung young woman. ‘‘Can’t you taste it in her wines?’’ asked the journalist.
At the time, no, I couldn’t. But I also believe a state of anxiety is not the best place for a winemaker to be during vintage. Great wines are made by those who go with the flow, who have the courage to do nothing. With so many other concerns in 2020, it may well be that courage, risktaking and simple surrender to the magic of the process may have taken a back seat.
The early releases, the sauvignon blancs et al, don’t tell us much in this regard. We must await the arrival of the serious pinot noir, syrah, cabernet, chardonnay and the like. Only then, will the full story of 2020 be revealed.