Priority is in the vineyard to finish all the tasks before the arduous work of netting. Then there will be a short respite letting the grapes ripen to full maturity under its veil until vintage. That short time will see me catching up in the winery to bottle the remaining Whites from the excellent vintage 2020 and Reds of the equally wonderful 2019 vintage.
All the excitement about the stately ‘Grandezza’ takes away from another new Italian grape variety from our vineyard. A very small batch of an Italian goodness which I will bottle, label, and introduce in February – Vermentino 2021.
This white reminds us of our easy-going and cheerful times in Sardinia windsurfing and enjoying their fashionable aromatic specialty under the Sardinian sun. But Vermentino is as at home in Tuscany, Campania, Liguria, Piemonte, Corsica and Provence and now Marlborough...
Hand-picked at low yield from warm sandy, gravelly soils bring out a substantial full-bodied white which I kept fresh by fermenting and maturing in a small 300 litre tank after a short maceration on the skins. It will stay on its fine lees until bottling with no fining and no filtration to maintain the beautiful flavours and aromas.
This virgin vintage has been a labour of love with this tiny quantity but has come out beautiful and reminds me of our Viognier. These are my notes from a tank sample: clear straw yellow, floral with hints of herbs, notes of apricot and honeysuckle with a whiff of saline minerality. Viscous and well balanced. A real varietal character.
You must be quick to get some of the some of this treasure as I surely will need some aside for us 😉.