Our 2019 Vintage

We are certainly feeling autumn in the highlands – cool mornings, some mists, the smell of open fires, leaves turning on trees and there’s more of a chill in the wind. Only a few weeks and winter will be upon us, a season when the highlands come into their own.

In October 2018 article we discussed the impact of drought on grapevines and how they respond to being under stress. If you would like to refresh your memory or haven’t yet read the article, you can find it here.

I refer to this article having harvested our grapes at St. Maur recently, in mid-April. I can report that our 2019 vintage harvest was the culmination of a difficult year for our vines and for the vineyard overall.

Back in October, we had just under half of the average yearly rainfall that we would normally see during the year here at St. Maur. And while we did see some rains through summer and into autumn, the lack of sufficient, continued rains, put our vines under great stress.

We took the decision not to apply irrigation or other strategies, as we believe that each vintage should reflect its year and we practice minimum intervention, both in the vineyard and in the winemaking process. If the lack of rain continues, per the article I wrote last year, we will have to consider how we address this – something to consider for the year ahead.

So what does this mean for St. Maur 2019 vintage? Put simply, our yield was affected so we will see reduced volumes of our 2019 wines when compared to previous years. As for the quality of the wines, I am confident that what we release will be as distinctive as our previous vintages.

At the end of May, we will bottle our 2019 Pinot Noir Rose, with a likely release to market around July. I know that we have many members and customers that enjoy our Pinot Noir Rose – if you’re one of the many, we’ll keep you posted on the release date on our website and in our communications.

As our 2019 vintage wines start to reveal how they are developing, I will be sure to keep you updated. Given the reduced quantities that will come to market, if you find a 2019 St. Maur wine you like, I would suggest you stock your cellar sooner rather than later, to avoid disappointment.

Salute!
Marco

This post was written by St Maur Wines