After a mostly warm, dry 2014 grape growing season in Marlborough, Whitehaven’s winemakers are excited about the flavours and aromatics in preliminary tastings of our 2014 wines.
Marlborough had a bit of a dream run at the beginning of the season, with early bud burst thanks to a warm winter in 2013, followed by a warm dry spring which promoted ideal growing conditions with little disease risk. After some mid-season rain and cooler weather in January, the vineyards enjoyed a warm, dry ripening period. Harvest was compressed due to the threat of late season rain, and the team worked overtime to get the fruit in before the majority of the rain set in.
Whitehaven senior winemaker Sam Smail says the winemaking team are currently tasting and analysing the wines on a daily basis, making minor adjustments as required to achieve the distinctive flavours and aromatics the Whitehaven wines are known for. Pilot samples, particularly Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and Riesling are showing a lot of promise, Sam says as the team go through the rigorous selection and blending process. “The wines are showing really clean, fresh flavours with the punchy and pure aromatics that we always look for in our wines.” Rather than rushing the wines to bottle, the white wines will be left to rest in the tank for a few more months, to allow them to settle down and bring the flavours from the vineyard to centre stage, he says.
The Whitehaven Rose has just come back from bottling and is the first of our 2014 wines to be bottled, while fans of our award winning Whitehaven Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc will have to wait until September or October before we see this in the bottle.
