Harvest Report 2004

Better Late Than Never

Just like the past couple of vintages, we experienced unusual seasonal weather conditions however we could not have anticipated that the 2004 vintage would be so late. Thinking back, the winter was just so dry leading to very uneven spring growth in the vineyards. With hindsight, this was indicative of a late vintage. There are indeed pros and cons when we experience such a late vintage.

On the positive side we could harvest and handle all our whites grapes with the maximum care and attention. This was particularly true of the Sauvignon Blanc where we had enough time to select grapes at optimum ripeness and capture all the different flavour components. There was adequate time in the cellar for the red grapes to mature longer on the skins after fermentation giving us a fine balance between the fruit and the tannins. Overall we enjoyed a healthy growing season with little need to spray for diseases. All the wines fermented well but at the end, the cellar was full and we still had full-ripe grapes to come in from the vineyards. When under pressure, you can show some imagination and ingenuity and every empty vessel became a fermentation tank! Our very last harvest was on 2nd April. This was a special selection of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz.

The Wines

Sauvignon Blanc 2004
I am very pleased with the quality of the Sauvignon Blanc. The 2003 vintage gave us hot conditions with high alcohols and lower acidities so the extra time during the 2004 harvest enabled me to “do the fine tuning” which was not so easy during the last vintage. Although the acidity of the 2004 vintage tends to be low, this was easily corrected during fermentation. The flavours are spot-on and so is the balance of the taste.

Chardonnay 2004
Our Chardonnay gave a smaller crop that usual probably as a result of the dry winter. At Saxenburg we would naturally keep the yields low so the 2004 vintage gives even more concentration than usual. The grapes were handpicked making selection of the best fruit very manageable. The grapes were whole bunch pressed to avoid any risk of oxidation.

Red Wines 2004
All the red wines have deep, dark colour and very soft, ripe tannins. We have some wines with slightly higher alcohols than usual. These alcohol levels of 14-15% do not disturb the balance of the fruit. The acidity was adjusted during fermentation and this together with the longer skin contact produced huge wines that will require longer barrel maturation. (Probably 18-24 months in barrel rather than a typical 12 months we would normally expect).

Vineyards

Our newly planted vineyards are really “coming-of-age”. I can see this in the quality of the fruit gained through careful yield management and selective irrigation. (Saxenburg does not normally irrigate – supplementary irrigation is given for the young vines to avoid stress).

Personal Overview
It is not easy to select a personal preference but Saxenburg is synonymous with “Shiraz” and our 2004 Shiraz is a very fine quality indeed – very spicey and a huge mouth feel.

We have successfully integrated a new team and everyone’s hard work has paid dividends. The up grading of the vineyards and cellar are ongoing; this project will be completed by 2006. Never the less, the results are consistent which is always rewarding. I look forward to experience the “complete” quality of Saxenburg!

Nico van der Merwe
Saxenburg : Cellar Master