Harvest Report 2023
October 24, 2023
Harvest 2023
The growing season of 2023 was another atypical one, or should I say another typical weird one! As with most wineries around us, we were hit with bud damage from the 2022 cold spell that came before Christmas. The most affected varietals were Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, while the whites and Pinot Noir were only partially affected. During pruning, we left 4 to 5 buds on the spur, rather than the usual 2, to increase our chances of maintaining a regular crop.
Spring was slightly cooler than normal resulting in a bud break about 10 days later than average. But from the end of May to the end of harvest, Mother Nature brought along consistently warm and dry weather, which really sped up vine development. Véraison started a week earlier than usual, and we harvested our first grapes, Pinot Noir for sparkling wine, on August 29th. Our last pick came in on October 12th with Cabernet Sauvignon, a full two weeks earlier than our previous record.
I also noticed a different trend in grape ripening this year. On a usual hot year with a lower crop load, the grapes will accumulate sugar and lose acidity quite rapidly before phenolic ripeness and flavour development happen. But the opposite happened in our vineyard. That led to what I believe will be one of the highest quality vintages in a decade. With only one press load left to do to wrap up this vintage, I am blown away by the flavours and balance of our finished wines.
Benoît Gauthier
Director, Winemaking and Viticulture
