Andrew Greenhough, winemaker at Greenhough Wines in Nelson, New Zealand, recently sent us through his 2010 vintage report. For a lot of inexpensive wines the difference from one vintage to the other is barely noticeable. You know what your getting every time. But often when a winemaker is sourcing from his own vineyards there can be subtle differences from year to year. Greenhough is one of those wineries with the quality edge and I’m confident the 2010 vintage will be no different. Quality-wise I mean.

The general consensus is that the season, (especially later), was kind and that beautiful fruit was harvested. That’s pretty much the story I have to tell based on the Nelson experience. I’ll give you a bit of detail!

Spring was cool as it often is, though here in Nelson we are lucky that frost does not threaten. This cool weather persisted through into early summer which set things back and delayed vine development for most of the growing season. The result was a more extended, (but stress free harvest), which began and ended about 10-12 days later than typically. The same cool weather also affected flowering and led to a lighter than average crop across most varieties. Not a bad thing given the need for a smaller national vintage and the difficulty which we may have had ripening a bigger crop in a cool year. January and the first half of Feb was also wetter than usual and this was some cause for concern at the time. But by mid February, summer had truly arrived and the weather continued dry and warm right through until the end of April and the conclusion of the harvest. Fruit was picked in near perfect physical condition. The later timing also resulted in a gradual and more extended period of ripening at a time when daylight hours were shortening and nights were significantly cooler. The result was great flavour development, varietal definition and sugar/acid balance.

If there’s one thing we have learnt over the years, (2010 was our 20th vintage here), it’s that no season or vintage is ever the same. Often the variations are quite significant. 2009 was a magnificent year and we are delighted to have a number of excellent wines from this vintage still un-bottled, let alone released. But it was notable for its very hot December and January which advanced fruit development, followed by a much cooler, damper February. An earlier than usual harvest, it was quite different to 2010. It will be interesting to see how this shows in the finished wines. My guess is that the 09′s will be have slightly softer acids and generous, rich fruit while the 10′s will be more elegant and defined with marked varietal character.

In the winery, we have just completed blending the 2009 Nelson and Hope Vineyard Pinots. We will leave these in tank for several months before bottling. Both the 2009 Gewurztraminer and Pinot Blanc are due for bottling in the next month. These have had a full year on yeast lees for the first time – the PB in seasoned oak and the Gewurz in tank. It is great to see the way that this has added real depth and richness and while the primary characters have been subdued a little there is more complexity. The Gewurz is pleasing for its more subtle, (rather than over-the-top), exotic fruits and lower alcohol than previously – a good thing. The 2009 Hope Vineyard Riesling is also in a drier style than recent vintages at 14g/L R/S, down from about 20g/L. We have also made a Rose in 2010. It is a relatively light style in terms of alcohol as is more appropriate for this style of wine.

Current wines available from Greenhough