Listening to our terroir...

We were recently talking with few other producers in the Marlborough region, and they were quite surprised to hear that by the end of the week all our pinot noir would be harvested, and half of the sauvignon blanc as well.

We might have started earlier than the majority, but for one simple reason: the fruits were ripe and showing good phenolic, analytic and aromatic balance.
To decide of our date of harvest for each block, we use a mix of berry analysis to reveal sugar, acidity, pH levels; and tastings. Tastings of the juice from the berries that we crush, but also by going in each block in different rows to taste berries and check on aromas and phenolic ripeness.

From the grapes already harvested, here are few analysis that will give you an idea of the balance we get. Also this shows it was the right decision for us to start harvest slightly earlier than most wineries in Marlborough.
But obviously it was a good decision in our vineyard, which is ran quite differently than the average Marlborough vineyard (twice higher density, guyot or guyot double pruning, controlled irrigation etc.). This is another example illustrating the combination of each vineyard, each block, each soil types, each microclimate, leads to a different working approach and different needs - doesn't this remind you of this notion of sense of place or terroir we are so attached too?

Our sauvignons blancs sit at the followings:
pH: 3.15
Tartric acidity: 8.2 g/l
Sugar: 220 g/l = 13.3 %vol potential = 24 brix

Our pinots noirs sit at the followings:
pH: 3.4
Tartric acidity: 6.0 g/l
Sugar: 240 g/l - 13.5%vol potential = 24.5 brix

We are now thinking of finishing harvest by the end of next week, with the last of the sauvignon blanc grown on the riverbed soil and all the sauvignons blancs growing on the clay.