Hayes Family Wines - Vintage 2022 - Our Chardonnay goes Full Circle
Our First Grapes of the 2022 Vintage - Primrose Chardonnay
Vintage 2022 is Underway
After a slow start, this past week we have started the season picking the first of our whites and our Rose base.
The Primrose Chardonnay was first picked this year, a week later than we picked in 2021. This nearly 50 year old block of Schulz Chardonnay is truly unique, very old (some of the oldest chardonnay vines in South Australia), hand picked from less than acre of remaining vines. Wonderful fruit.
The chardonnay was followed by the Williamstown Grenache and Mataro destined for our Rose. This is old vine fruit from the Fromm Vineyard, a property that like the Schulz’s has been in family hands for more than 100 years.
And finally, we picked the Schulz Semillon. The fruit harvested to date is incredibly vibrant, with excellent natural acid and balance. No adjustments are need this year and although it’s early, it’s safe to say these are some of the best white grapes we have seen in some years.
The Chardonnay Grapes return to Primrose
Once the free run and lightly pressed juice has been extracted from the Chardonnay grapes, the remaining skins, seeds and stalks are returned to the Primrose property for the sheep to enjoy over the following 24 hours. First rate nutrition for our four legged friends that call the wonderful Schulz Primrose Vineyard in Ebenezer home.
Chardonnay Stalks, Grape Skins and Seeds are returned to Primrose
Vintage 2022 - The Days and Weeks Ahead?
With warm and fine weather forecast for the weeks ahead, we expect a relatively drawn out vintage. We anticipate it will be a few weeks before we start harvesting Shiraz, followed by Cabernet, Grenache and Mataro. Our harvest normally starts in the Southern Barossa, in Williamstown before moving North West to Stone Well, North to Ebenezer and Koonunga and ultimately East to Eden Valley. But in mild years like 2022, you never know. What we do know is that we are looking forward to it!