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Vintage 2011
Weather patterns weren’t as predictable or favourable as they have been in the last 2 vintages but with careful viticulture through the growing season we were able to harvest fruit in fantastic condition. It was certainly a great season for Sauvignon Blanc and we're especially excited about its aromatics and flavours.
We had early flavour development and sugar/acid balance in all of our fruit resulting in wines with physiological ripeness at lower alcohol levels - something we are always striving for. Mid-season rainfall resulted in larger than normal berry size and the winemaking team (assisted by interns from France, Germany, USA, Canada and Bulgaria) had to earn their keep when it came to optimizing extraction in red varietals - but a little hard work never hurt anyone! The We'll be releasing the first of our 2011 wines in early July.
Cheers, Vintage 2010
Marlborough had a very cool spring which resulted in harvest starting about 10 days later than usual and crops being quite light (due to cold weather over flowering). Rainfall from November to April was the 3rd lowest since records started in 1930 resulting in no disease pressure and the need for irrigation to be carefully monitored. March and April were warmer than average which allowed all grapes to reach full ripeness. Marlborough’s trademark cool nights resulted in intense aromatics and flavours as well as the retention of acidity, giving our wines the brightness and vibrancy they are renowned for. The Mount Riley winery team of Matt, Dean, Cam and Katie were well supported by Phil (U.K), Joe and Pat (USA), Allira (Australia), Luc (France) & Charlotte and Craig (NZ). The crew brought extra energy and enthusiasm and allowed the Mount Riley crew to reflect on how lucky we are to do what we do every day, and the great place in which we live. Overall we’re rapt with the flavours and fruit expression our aromatic varieties (Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris & Riesling) as well as the purity and concentration showing in our Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. I hope you enjoy drinking the wines as much as we enjoyed growing and making them.
Cheers,
Vintage Report 2009
Weather at both bud burst and fruit set in Marlborough was ideal in the 2009 growing year, resulting in large potential crops. As a result, Mount Riley performed a great deal of work in its vineyards to reduce crop levels in 2009 and to ensure quality over quantity.
Vintage Report 2008
We had exceptionally warm weather in Marlborough over flowering. This, together with the settled weather we experienced during fruit set and the rain that fell just after flowering and veraison (when grapes change colour), resulted in large bunch and berry numbers and prosperous yields.
Although yields were down on our early expectations, our 2007 crop is of very good quality.
Cool temperatures after flowering resulted in fruit set problems in Marlborough in the 2006-2007 growing year. Our vineyard management team addressed this by way of extensive thinning and harvesting a greater proportion of our fruit by hand than is usual at Mount Riley.
Our cellar team was joined by locals Louis and Jason together with Australian residents Bruce and Dana who were keen to get stuck in after a short & disappointing vintage in Australia.
Vintage Report 2006
Timing our picking decisions is of critical importance with Sauvignon Blanc - if picked too early wines can be lean and green, but if left too late can be flabby and bland. Digger clocked up considerable miles in 2006 testing grape physiological ripeness to ensure grapes were harvested at the perfect time. As it turned out his leg work paid off. We unusually harvested certain blocks of our Sauvignon Blanc before all of our Pinot Noir was in, and were thankful to have such a flexible team with control over over production process in order to adjust to an atypical harvest.
Our 2006 vintage was our third in Mount Riley's new state of the art winery and, having had more than 3 years with the same permanent crew, our team worked like a well oiled machine! We were supported by an excellent temporary crew, made up of cellar hands Cam from Taranaki, Nico from Alsace and Frank from Germany. Our 2006 vintage was one of the best Mount Riley have experienced. We are confident our 2006 wines will mirror a fine vintage. Vintage Report 2005
Marlborough experienced unseasonably cool temperatures in December 2004, which led to lower than average crop yields. Temperatures were warmer in January allowing fruit ripeness levels to increase markedly. Harvest began somewhat later than usual as the Mount Riley vineyard staff and winemakers held off harvesting until our grapes reached optimal physiological ripeness. This resulted in long days of field testing, complex decisions regarding harvesting individual blocks within vineyards at separate times and tense nights hoping that Marlborough frosts would stay at bay. |
With another vintage done, the dust is just starting to settle on what has been a tricky but rewarding harvest.
end of the season (April especially) was cooler than the long term average and whilst this didn’t allow for rapid accumulation of sugar in the berries, it did mean that later ripeneing fruit had long ‘hang time’ allowing full flavour development.
2010 goes down as one of Marlborough’s best ever harvests and all Mount Riley’s 2010 wines are showing intense aromatic expression and concentration.
From March right through to the end of our harvest at Mount Riley, mother nature was very kind to us and we had virtually no rain and many warm sunny days. It is not uncommon for us to decide to harvest prior to forecast rain or frost in Marlborough which is not ideal. However, in 2009 due to the fine weather throughout vintage we found ourselves in the ideal position of being able to pick solely on flavour and aromatics. As a result we harvested some exceptional fruit in perfect condition.
Vintage Report 2007
After fruit set right through until our 2007 vintage commenced in March, Mother Nature was kind to us. Indeed our vintage was without the stress of storms or frosts that we have encountered in previous vintages and weather remained settled during our busy period from late March to late April.
Marlborough is world renowned for its ability to produce outstanding wines, but this comes at a price, with conditions often being unpredictable - and our 2006 vintage was no exception. During harvest we kept a close eye on internet weather forecasts as cyclones raged across Australia. Fortunately, although this threat caused considerable angst and sleepless nights for our team, our vineyards were not affected and our fruit was harvested in pristine condition. 
We are thrilled with our crop levels and with the quality of our 2006 Sauvignon Blanc. Our Chardonnay and Pinot Noir yielded lower quantities than Digger expected due to adverse weather during flowering but the grapes harvested were of peerless quality.
Our 2005 vintage, when it hit, was an intense affair with many varieties achieving optimal maturity at much the same time. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir were harvested first from the beginning of April and Sauvignon Blanc from mid-April. The balance of our crop was harvested shortly after 25 April, when a significant frost occurred in the Wairau Valley and created overnight wintering and canopy shut down.