Hayes Family Wines - Vintage 2021 - Pre-Vintage - How are the Vineyards Looking?
Schulz Old Block, Ebenezer, South Australia. February 2021
Season to Date
After a few very dry years, Spring and early Summer Rainfall in 2020 was average, it felt like so much more after the very dry years proceeding it. But average rainfall was very welcome. The vines have responded well with a good crop set across most varieties (Grenache being the exception). Things turned dry prior to Christmas but we received some showers last week which has freshened things up nicely. At this stage, we are expecting to start with the whites late next week, followed by the rose blocks. Reds are expected to start in perhaps the second week in March. At this stage, things look positive but we have a long way to go before our final grapes are picked sometime in April.
Vineyard Visits and Sampling
Late January, early February is time for Andrew and I to get out and about. We spend time visiting all our vineyards, sampling grapes, discussing conditions and expectations with our growers. Different grapes varieties coupled with varying conditions across sub-regions of the Barossa Valley and Coonawarra mean that our grapes ripen at different times, sometimes as much as 2 months apart. We expect we will start with the Semillon from the Schulz Vineyard in Ebenezer perhaps late next week, followed by the Primrose Chardonnay and Rose base by the end of February. Shiraz is expected to start in the second week in March. Based on our visit to Coonawarra, I expect the Cabernet to be a bit later this year, and this will probably close out the picking in mid to late April.
For us, we will continue to wish for fine weather, warm days, cool nights, as our grapes take their time to reach full ripeness. By this time, our winery will be ready and Vintage 2021 will commence with much anticipation. In the meantime, it is business as usual for us, and our Indian Runner Ducks!