A late start!

Build up to the summer

The winery calendar has firmly switched from still wines to sparkling. So, disgorging of the new
release Cotswold Classic is still ongoing, as well as the next Rosé Brut 2020, both showing great
character. However, I like to leave all sparkling wines for least three months post-disgorging prior to
release, so currently the first of the Cotswold Classic 2020 labelled and recently released was
disgorged in February.

We’re expecting another busy as ever summer ahead so now is a crucial time to keep the wines
moving through production. Also awaiting release later on in the year is more of the very popular
Reserve Cuvée Magnums 2017 and a new exciting release - Late Disgorged Blanc de Blancs 2016 in
both standard size and magnum!

Last harvest’s Pinot Noir and Pinot Précoce in barrel are aging nicely, and our sparkling base wines in
both tank and barrels have completed malolactic fermentation, so soon we shall be trying these
wines as well as the reserve wines from 2020 in preparation for the sparkling wine blending season.

Budburst in the vines was one to two weeks later than average due to the cold start to spring, but with this lovely weather over the last 2 weeks, the vines are all now in the green and inflorescenses (flower clusters) are clearly visible. I love the vineyard at this time of the year - the new season is underway and there is an air of anticipation. What will 2023 produce. What will the elements send our way over over the next 6 months to help or hinder our efforts to produce a quality harvest.  

I'm pleased to say that the first challenge of the year, a successful budburst, has occured with minimal frost issues and the bougies only lit on one occasion in the most developed frost pockets (compared to four times in 2022). And there are plentiful inflorescences due to the hot and dry summer of 2022. Good weather during and after flowering is an important factor in contributing to good yields the following year and all varieties have a good number of inflorescences.  

The rains in March and April have put plenty of moisture into the ground. This is important for vines as they go through the all important early growth stages with minimal stress. The next major challenge for the vines will be flowering which usually starts in mid to late June but can occur as late as July. We hope the vines will catch up with their slow start over the next few weeks so that flowering is not late and there is plenty of time for the crop to develop and ripen in time for harvest. More in the next News Letter.