Confidence, in the decisions we made with the picking times. I guess this comes with some experience and getting to know the property and blocks better, year after year.
Sure, there were definitely days where we were unsure and where you kind of had to follow your gut and hope for the best. But in general, we were a bit more relaxed. Which we have learnt, makes everyone’s lives easier, and easier to be around.
And then a joyous harvest. Yes, we were tired and survived off litres of coffee (and highly irritated by Eskom and the lack of electricity), but beyond that each morning we were greeted with a beautiful sunrise and we got to spend time in nature. We had some fun too and we just got the job done without too much drama. Mother nature was kind too and sent rain at the right time.
The growing season of this vintage, a warm and dry winter, with a low of 250 mm of rain for 2022.
Spring and summer brought cooler weather, and in December we had 48 mm of rain. This was a game changer, basically a life saver. It came at a perfect time and gave the vines that last boost they needed.
Viticulturally, our approach was to leave a bit more of a canopy on the vines, making sure there were enough leaves for ripening and coverage against wind and those extreme, hot days.
Harvest started earlier for us (17 January) with the eager beaver, Verdelho. As soon as we picked it, we continued and slowly but surely just put our heads down and picked everyday.
We knew the yields would be slightly higher, more grapes to process and with Eskom we knew we had to manage the logistics and day-to-days slightly different. It was a bit of a dance in the beginning, but we quickly found our groove, and soon we were waltzing away. Actually, there is probably one, and only one bright side of Eskom, it forced us to work in shifts, which made it easier for us to process more in a day.
We kicked off with Verdelho, beautiful, loving this variety at the moment, and it will surely add more grip, grit and texture to our blend with some killer acidity.
The Chenin Blanc picks varied from earlier picks to a riper batch here and there, but in general a slightly earlier picked vintage.
60% whole bunch pressing on most Chenin batches. A few batches were crushed and destemmed and one batch was skin fermented, just to add some spice to the mix.
Viognier is most definitely finding its groove here, hello Condrieu. It has always been a very powerful variety (still is) but it has slightly toned down in the barrel, and there is an intense balance in the wine. This can be due to the ageing of the vines, and them settling down in these rocky and schist soils of Malgas.
The Roussanne will always be a tricky one. In 2022 we made a beautiful single varietal wine of Roussanne.
We also picked the Vermentino, which looked like table grapes. It took a slight beating from the birds and some rot, but we have a 700L barrel filled with goodness, and looking forward to seeing how it develops.
In 2018 we appointed Etienne Terblanche, Vinpro by day and Thistle and Weed by night, also dad to three little humans now, to assist and consult in the vineyards after some crazy dry years.
We prioritised the blocks, mostly the older reds, and started adding mulch and a splash more water when we had enough. (We rely on rainfall for water, and only in the winter months can we pump from the Breede River to fill the dams, the rest of the time the river's salinity is too high).
We are most definitely starting to see the impact in the areas where we put the extra water and mulch. Yields increasing and overall well-being of the vine. Canopies feel ‘richer’ and a lot happier.
One of my favourite pickings was the Syrah from the more slate soil sections seen at the entrance of the farm, intensity I have never tasted before. Tiny, tiny berries, but the smell of the ferment is definitely imprinted in my memory box now. Cured meat , meets olive and liquorice moment. An ‘Aha’ moment, ‘this is good’!
Trincadeira, the six barrels we have, well, year after year this variety is just becoming more and more of a showstopper. Tea leaf to raspberry and jelly candy flavours, serious juiciness to it, not lacking any structure. A personal favourite.
The Touriga Nacional, we focused a lot on these blocks, and the proof is in the pudding. The yields basically doubled, and the vines have never looked healthier. We sell some of the Touriga to Duncan Savage for his “Are we there yet”.
Grenache, yields down a bit, but serious quality, and juice.
Cabernet Sauvignon, although the yields are not as we wish, some of the most stunning bunches and flavours. Only two barrels to be made from this.
One barrel of Carignan, tasting good and excited to see where this will puzzle in.
Mourvedre is always picked last, this year it was post 30 mm of rain.
As the French would say, Mourvedre likes to grow with its head in the sun, and its feet in cool and wet soil, with a view of the sea. We have seen in wetter, and cooler summer years how it has proven to be exactly right.
We were hoping for some more much needed post-harvest rain, to relieve some of the stress, and we certainly got it - 80 mm of it last weekend!
We will get the last few batches pressed and carefully taste and monitor the barrels for malolactic fermentation.
- Charla Bosman, winemaker of Sijnn Wines
