Ridgeback Wines October 2013 Newsletter

Sunday, 27 October, 2013
Ridgeback Wines
After the wettest August on record and generally excellent winter rainfall raising our water tables to the maximum we are very thankful as we head into budburst and the growing season ahead.
Early budburst signs are showing good evenness across all cultivars with the exception of Sauvignon Blanc and it appears that the warm conditions during the first two weeks of July did little to affect the dormant vines at that stage. The team is currently working at full pace to remove any unwanted shoots and retain only the very best to ensure a balanced yield and quality in each vine. This process, called suckering, should keep us very busy until mid-November.

In the cellar we are now at the most fulfilling period of the year and that is blending time. We have recently bottled our 2012 Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon with the quality and intensity looking great. We are currently blending our 2012 Shiraz and His Master’s Choice Rhone blend and the wines are looking just as promising. 

Shiraz is always the most forgiving cultivar on the farm with consistent quality and the wines often have a way of making themselves. This year, however, it was the Bordeaux varieties of the 2011 and 2012 vintages that have done equally well with gold medals for the Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Journey wines It is truly amazing how budburst at springtime awakens the butterflies in one’s stomach with a good blend of excitement and anxiety as we spare a second to contemplate the adventures of the season ahead.

Remember to get your Christmas gifts in time. Ridgeback is offering great Christmas or corporate gift packs from R250 consisting of Ridgeback Merlot 2011, Ridgeback Cabernet Sauvignon 2011, Ridgeback Journey 2011.

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