Better Late Than Never
Just like the past couple of vintages, we experienced
unusual seasonal weather conditions however we could
not have anticipated that the 2004 vintage would be
so late. Thinking back, the winter was just so dry
leading to very uneven spring growth in the vineyards.
With hindsight, this was indicative of a late vintage.
There are indeed pros and cons when we experience such
a late vintage.
On the positive side we could harvest and handle all
our whites grapes with the maximum care and attention.
This was particularly true of the Sauvignon Blanc where
we had enough time to select grapes at optimum ripeness
and capture all the different flavour components. There
was adequate time in the cellar for the red grapes
to mature longer on the skins after fermentation giving
us a fine balance between the fruit and the tannins.
Overall we enjoyed a healthy growing season with little
need to spray for diseases. All the wines fermented
well but at the end, the cellar was full and we still
had full-ripe grapes to come in from the vineyards.
When under pressure, you can show some imagination
and ingenuity and every empty vessel became a fermentation
tank! Our very last harvest was on 2nd April. This
was a special selection of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz.
The Wines
Sauvignon Blanc 2004
I am very pleased with the quality of the Sauvignon
Blanc. The 2003 vintage gave us hot conditions with
high alcohols and lower acidities so the extra time
during the 2004 harvest enabled me to “do the
fine tuning” which was not so easy during the
last vintage. Although the acidity of the 2004 vintage
tends to be low, this was easily corrected during
fermentation. The flavours are spot-on and so is
the balance of the taste.
Chardonnay 2004
Our Chardonnay gave a smaller crop that usual probably
as a result of the dry winter. At Saxenburg we would
naturally keep the yields low so the 2004 vintage
gives even more concentration than usual. The grapes
were handpicked making selection of the best fruit
very manageable. The grapes were whole bunch pressed
to avoid any risk of oxidation.
Red Wines 2004
All the red wines have deep, dark colour and very soft,
ripe tannins. We have some wines with slightly higher
alcohols than usual. These alcohol levels of 14-15%
do not disturb the balance of the fruit. The acidity
was adjusted during fermentation and this together
with the longer skin contact produced huge wines
that will require longer barrel maturation. (Probably
18-24 months in barrel rather than a typical 12 months
we would normally expect).
Vineyards
Our newly
planted vineyards are really “coming-of-age”.
I can see this in the quality of the fruit gained through
careful yield management and selective irrigation.
(Saxenburg does not normally irrigate – supplementary
irrigation is given for the young vines to avoid stress).
Personal Overview
It is not easy to select a personal preference but
Saxenburg is synonymous with “Shiraz” and
our 2004 Shiraz is a very fine quality indeed – very
spicey and a huge mouth feel.
We have successfully
integrated a new team and everyone’s
hard work has paid dividends. The up grading of the
vineyards and cellar are ongoing; this project will
be completed by 2006. Never the less, the results are
consistent which is always rewarding. I look forward
to experience the “complete” quality of
Saxenburg!
Nico van der Merwe
Saxenburg : Cellar Master |
