An early bud burst was followed by good weather through until the end of June resulting in successful flowering. Much needed rain in August helped compensate for the dry conditions earlier in the year. This ensured a fruitful and early vintage which was completed by 7th October.
Our Vineyard Manager, Jon Pollard, suggests that the success of 2014 was a combination of nature and meticulous nurture. “Veraison was about ten days ahead of normal, and it was a smaller crop than previous years too – partly due to weather conditions at fruit set, but also a result of deliberately dropping around 20% of selected bunches in the vineyard, to help boost the concentration and ripeness in remaining grapes. This did wonders for the overall quality during harvest
Our Chief Winemaker, Charlie Holland believes 2014 was best described as a watershed moment. "2014 convinced me that our wonderfully unique blend of soils and climates could consistently create outstanding ripeness. The fruit was perfectly ripe and we found more pronounced stone and orchard fruit flavours alongside the typical English citrus fruit. A harmonious blend of perfect natural acidity and sugars was achieved effortlessly. No fining or intervention was required. We simply focussed on producing the best quality possible and let the fruit express itself.”
