We've just finished harvesting the last of our 2022 fruit. Consultant winemaker, Matt Thomson, shares his thoughts on what you can expect from our 2022 wines.
The 2022 growing season was marked by significant rain. The wet weather began in winter, carrying through until late spring, and marked the end of three years of drought for Marlborough.
A period of warmth in early December produced a welcome and better than average fruit-set, after the very low crop from 2021. A warm and dry January allowed us to confirm that crops were bigger than average. It was important for some vineyard owners to reduce their crops to the level needed to produce quality wine.
In late February we had a couple of significant rains which replenished the soil moisture levels that had reduced during summer. During the two weeks that followed we had cool days and nights which meant acidity in the grapes remained on the high side.
During March we had a four-day period of rain every evening, which was followed by beautiful sunshine and classic Marlborough autumn weather with cool nights. As we entered the harvesting window for most Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, many of the wineries in Marlborough had to deal with a peak of New Zealand’s Omicron outbreak, which put some stress on staffing. Excellent teamwork meant we were able to harvest our fruit as it was ready, retaining vibrant acidity and concentrated fruit flavours. We are looking forward to sharing some classic Marlborough wines from 2022.
Look out for our 2022 Rapaura Springs Reserve Sauvignon Blanc which will be bottled soon.
