Despite some bird damage on a small corner of James’s tiny vineyard of 1.8 hectares in Martinborough, New Zealand, he started his harvest this year at Mirae Vineyard on March 7 to pick his ungrafted Clone 6 Pommard pinot noir and some Clone 5. He picked the rest on March 9. James and Marie were very happy with the quality of what was harvested. The growing season had more rain than 2024 during the summer, allowing the vines to grow more vigorously and produce more healthier grapes than the year before. His pruning and shoot selection, guided by vineyard guru Marco Simonit, also increased the sap flow of his vines, which were mostly planted in 1986 and are organically farmed. The healthy fruit was brought to the Ata Rangi winery, where the first batch was destemmed and placed in terracotta amphora to begin spontaneous fermentation with natural yeasts. The second batch was fermented partially whole cluster in primarily open-top bins. They are now aging in amphorae, including Artenova and Tava, as well as four-year-old 225-liter French oak barrels.
© 2009 - 2025 JamesSuckling.com - All rights reserved.