Wednesday, 28 February, 2024
Glenelly Estate
After some rain and soaring temperatures at the beginning of the year, harvest at Glenelly Estate in Stellenbosch started with Chardonnay grapes towards the end of January – 2 weeks earlier than last year. Harvest continued in much the same conditions. We picked as the grapes reached optimal flavour and fruit ripeness but at much lower sugar levels than normal. This will translate into wines with beautiful acidity, lighter alcohols but still with the texture and fruit intensity we look for in our wines.
The reds also came in earlier than usual, starting with Merlot and then Cabernet Franc. We observed much smaller berries than we have in the past with loads of colour and tannins. This means we’ve have had to be gentler upon extraction, this year, but the quality of this harvest is looking absolutely fantastic.
After the intense heat in January we were blessed with cool nigh-time temperatures in the vineyards in February. We’re getting beautiful phenolic ripeness in the fruit while the sugars have been quite slow to rise, decreasing the initial speed of the harvest somewhat and allowing the remaining reds to gain the perfect physiological ripeness. Next, we’ll be picking the Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot.
An exciting harvest so far! Visit our Instagram profile to see more behind-the-scenes content from the cellar and vineyards.