With every new vintage we are finding the demand for our wine outstripping supply.
Our 2023 Vintage is currently only available through our club, via the Collectors Selection or Rare club allocation
Vintage Conditions
Our wines from the 2023 vintage will show the great elegance and finesse that comes with a cooler season. Taut acidity balanced by a crescendo of lifted aromatic flavours will make these wines an essential addition to any serious wine cellar.
The third year of a ‘la nina’ weather pattern brought high rainfall and lower temperatures throughout the 2022 spring. Thankfully the rare, deep, red-ferrosol soils on which the Delamere vineyard is planted provide excellent drainage, and we were able to get our equipment onto the vineyard between showers to give the growing vines all the attention they required. A change to warmer conditions through December and January helped the ripening process catch up, but wet conditions returned through February and March. Judicious canopy management and a lucky warm, dry break in early April, allowed us to ripen our fruit for the Delamere Estate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay to perfection.
Winemaking
Selected from one of our oldest Pinot Noir blocks - Block 8, now over 41 years old -where age has gently curbed yields, concentrating the depth and intensity of flavour in the fruit. Hand-picked bunches are delivered directly to the winery and destemmed into open-top fermenters. To enhance aromatic complexity and structure, 30% whole bunches were included, with the must left to soak at ambient temperature for five days before a natural fermentation began. Gentle hand plunging every 12 hours nurtured fine tannins, and after 15 days the wine was pressed off skins. It was then transferred to two of our finest French oak barriques -one new and one seasoned - where it matured gracefully for 10 months before bottling.
Tasting Notes
The 2023 Block 8 continues to reflect the distinct character of this exceptional site and the maturity of its old vines. Aromatically, the wine opens with lifted notes of strawberry and cherry, supported by a nuanced array of baking spices-nutmeg, clove, and star anise layering delicately over a subtle hint of forest floor. The palate is finely structured and poised, with firm, sinewy tannins and a core of vibrant red fruit. There is a savoury undertone that builds length and complexity, underscoring the site’s pedigree. This vintage shows a quiet power and precision, promising graceful development
Food Pairing
Seared venison, baked field mushrooms, rare rib of beef and a rump of lamb would be the perfect accompaniment.