Harvest update
Wow, what a crazy harvest at Beaumont Family Wines so far! I haven’t experienced anything quite like it in my years as a winemaker. It is a harvest of two halves! The first part went very smoothly and we managed to get all the Chenin, Sauvignon, Colombar and Syrah into the cellar calmly with more than enough time to give each batch the love and attention it deserved.
The second half of this harvest has been interrupted by very heavy regular rain and quite cold conditions. This has slowed the ripening of some old vine Pinotage, Mourvèdre, Grenache, Malbec and Petit Verdot. I have never forgotten a notice we had on our cellar harvest board for many years that simply said “Be PATIENT”. This is what we are trying to do now. We check on the grapes daily to make sure there is no rot developing, to taste how the sugars are developing and the skins are softening. This could result in spectacular wines if we can keep them healthy. Let’s keep fingers and toes crossed!
In the cellar, all of our young vine Pinotage and Cabernet Franc is fermenting in three or four different methods. Some are completely whole bunch fermented, other portions are only partially whole bunch, while others are crushed and destalked into small bins or barrels. We are also experimenting with some Colombar this year, fermenting whole bunch with submerged cap. This idea was brought to me by Pablo aka Mr Sourdough (he is the founder of our sourdough starter from the middle of 2020 – created during lockdown).
This method when done in a specific Clay amphora is known as “Talha” wine. We will talk more about it at another stage when I start to see the result.
New vintage release: Far Side Mourvèdre 2022
The new vintage is released this week. Come and taste it at the cellar.
The 2020 vintage produced beautiful wines with silky soft tannins. Juicy dark fruits shine in this version of Far Side Mourvèdre. Named after my favourite surf break, Far Side Mourvèdre reminds me that this varietal loves to grow with its head in the sun, its feet in cool soil with a view of the sea!