Harvest 2012 – a sterling vintage so far!
February 21st, 2012 | Author: 
Harvest arrived about two weeks ago on about the 3rd of February 2012.
It has been a fairly calm start with a perpetuating feeling of happiness for this vintage, which has presented itself royally thus far!
Compared to last year, which was a wet year, it has been smooth sailing all along and with one tank of Pinot noir already pressed and ready for maturation, the harvest is passing like a breeze.
Weather conditions have been superb. Only one spell of rain set us back on ripeness a touch, which meant that we now experience a slightly prolonged vintage. We expect to pick Sauvignon blanc, Riesling and Semillon soon.
Today we are harvesting Weisser Riesling grapes. It is a spectacular day out here today – a wind still, gorgeous sunny day with the cooling sea breeze, which will start blowing at around noon.
We marvel at this vintage year so far and in the cellar the Pinot noir fermentation bouquets tantalize the senses and the Sauvignon aromas boast fruity delights!
We have thus far harvested about 53 tons of Pinot noir, 11 tons of Chardonnay and 10 tons of Weisser Riesling and look forward to harvesting the rest of our cultivars before mid March on this farm.
Sixte Libeau, our harvest intern from France, marvels at the quality of our Riesling grapes
Nigel - Chris's cellar hand at Riesling harvest!
Peter's helping hand.
As always, harvest is a time full of excitement and achievement, physical challenge and stimulation. This year is all of that with “a jump in its step”. How much more encouragement can I offer – come and visit us to take part in the harvest activities and let this fun become ‘our fun’!
Peter and Chris contemplating which variety will be next in line for the pick!
Tutored Tastings at Bouchard Finlayson
Join us for the second of the interactive tutored tastings for 2012 at Bouchard Finlayson!
The first tutored tasting in the BF barrel cellar
The subject of this tasting will be “aged Riesling blends/ Rieslings” – an opportunity not to be missed, as knowledge is shared and this cultivar explored as it ages with appealing composure! This tasting will be offered by the winemaker himself, Peter Finlayson and will be free of charge. As from the following tasting there will be a tasting fee involved, which will be credited with purchases from the tasting room exceeding R 1000,-.
When: Saturday the 10th of March at 11:00 am – 12:30 pm
Where: In the barrel cellar at Bouchard Finlayson winery, Hemel-en-Aarde Rd/ R320, Hermanus
Wines: There will be a variety of about eight wines of which some will be Bouchard Finlayson as well as one or two international examples.
There is space for only 20 guests, thus please r.s.v.p. soonest in order to secure your seat in this interactive tasting, which will be free of charge once more.
Join us this year to taste your favourite cultivar – tastings will be conducted by either Peter Finlayson himself, by our Assistant Winemaker, Chris Albrecht, or by myself (Jessica Saurwein).
See images below of what was a wonderful event last Saturday: The theme was older Chardonnay
Click here to see the line up of the last tasting and make sure to join us in some harvest activity at the vineyard!
Harvest Interns gather and greet at Bouchard Finlayson
Harvest Interns from the Overberg at Bouchard Finlayson's "boerewors braai"
A pre-harvest gathering was held for interns from neighbouring wine farms and other farms in the Walker Bay wine district.
Young, inspired winemakers from all over the world came together over a glass of Blanc de Mer 2011 and a “boerewors braai” (sausage barbecue) at Bouchard Finlayson on Monday, the 6th February, to celebrate their paths and experiences in the wine industry and to share their experiences with one another.
As stories of faraway home towns such as France, Argentina, Germany, Chile and US were shared over a glass of Sauvignon blanc on the lawn beneath the cellar, the thunder could be heard in the distance and finally, as the last guests were about to leave, there was a show of lightening bolts all around the cellar. A magical evening where thoughts about terroir, viticulture and oenology were exchanged and the interns once more inspired for the hard work which lies ahead in the next month or so!
Winemakers and Assitant winemakers, who attended the barbecue at BF
As we taste the 2011 Pinot noir and welcome the new vintage year …
… we are delighted to share our tasting results of the 2011 Pinot noirs.
About a week back, Peter and Chris tasted through an array of beautifully clear and bright blends (of different vineyard blocks) of the new. Soon the barrels were to be racked off into the stainless steal tanks and thereafter the delicate wine is prepared for bottling in tank. Although the 2011 vintage posed its many challenges due to the wet conditions during the ripening phase, the wines are proving to be delicious, delicate with hints of pomegranate, red cherries, plum and mulberry, this vintage promises a distinctly different dazzling wine! The difficult weather conditions during ripening did provoke concern, but after this tasting, the Peter Finlayson is pleasantly surprised by this year’s Pinot noir. This confirms Peter’s Status that great wines can be made in not such good vintage years!
Click here to see the tasting notes on our current vintage of Galpin Peak Pinot noir.
As we taste the 2011 vintage, we welcome the harvest 2012 with great hope for an unforgettable vintage! Everything seems in our favour! The pH’s are very low and the phenolics ripe enough for the pick! Harvest started on Friday, the 3rd of February officially and at this point we are busy filling our second Pinot noir fermenting tank!
Come join us at the vineyard to catch a glimpse of the harvest activity!
Peter’s Baobab
Standing tall, Peter Finlayson’s facial expression is that of a child in awe and wonder. A rather incongruent image: a small pot plant in the large hand, as Peter trickles a few water droplets over the reddish soil every second day or so.
At first I wondered who had placed two sticks in a pot and expected them to grow, but when on numerous occasions Peter visited the small plant in our office, I realized that this was no ordinary plant. The baby Baobab tree, also known as the ‘tree of life’, was left to awaken from dormancy and in late October the very first small green leaf became visible and then delicate attention was given to the plant.
A long leaf blade, expanding and finally reaching an astonishing dimension for the small stem and root space in the pot, was a gift from a friend of Peters. It was to be a test whether Peter could prove that he truly has ‘green fingers’ and does not only see success when it comes to working with Vitis vinifera. Read the rest of this entry »
Tasting at the BF Homestead for US Sommeliers
Yesterday, we hosted a group of four US guests for a tasting at the Homestead. Below are their details. We enjoyed their positive reactions to our wines and specifically to the following wines:
The most liked were the Tete de Cuvee 2010 (the next vintage to be released), which was tasted alongside the 2009 vintage and the Galpin Peak 2010 was equally embraced. The Blanc de Mer 2011 and the Kaaimansgat Chardonnay, which was Editor’s Choice and receieved 91/100 points in the Wine Enthusiast last year for the Kaaimansgat Limited Edition Chardonnay 2009, was equaled with the 2010 current vintage of Kaaimansgat/ Crocodile\’s lair as the tasters revealed their contented grimaces after a few sips of this wine.
Below is some information on the guests.
BF in Mauritius
Peter and Geta Finlayson visited Mauritius last year and BF’s wines were well received…
Below an article in Cote du Nord, a Magazine which is about the tourism Industry mentioning hotels/restaurants/pubs, airlines, food and wine and new developments in Mauritius in which Bouchard Finlayson features with its Chardonnay and Pinot noir. Read the rest of this entry »
Never a dull moment: Owl and Stormers discovering new territories!
Never a dull moment…
When arriving at the vineyard on a Monday morning to yet another gorgeous day in the valley with that gentle cool ocean breeze blowing, it is easy to be content that it is Monday!
Peter assists a new barn owl
Not only were we greeted by a new barn owl, which has started to fledge and needed assistance to find back into its owl box at the cellar from sitting on a chair on the patio in the past week, but when the Stormers Rugby team strutted into our tasting room after a quick phone call from Bryan Habana, announcing their arrival, the day became a whole lot more exciting than usual!
What a sight! Six members of the team greeting Peter Finlayson and tasting a few of the wines. No surprise that the glasses looked tiny in the hands of our Western Province players. A graceful gulp and the tasting was done, with brief comments on the pleasure evoked by the wine’s pleasing aromas.
Bryan Habana and Peter Finlayson
In the swing of things, Bryan Habana appeared a lightening bolt, charming Melanie Bothma, our tasting room assistant, with his charismatic smile. There he was, a national hero, asking to purchase “a bottle of Bouchard Finlayson’s most affordable wine please”. Not long thereafter the bottle was signed by Peter, who towered above most of the players with his calm and yet excited demeanor!
A group of tasters asked whether it would be possible to have a picture taken with Bryan Habana. Bryan, who was being a real sport, had no objections and happily played along with what was for our guests a once-in-a-lifetime moment!
Embark on a journey: Tutored Tastings at Bouchard Finlayson!
Join us for the first of the interactive tutored tastings for 2012 at Bouchard Finlayson!
The subject of the first tasting will be ‘older Chardonnays‘ – an opportunity not to be missed, as knowledge is shared and this cultivar explored as it comes to its own with time in the bottle! This first tasting will be offered by the winemaker himself, Peter Finlayson.
When: Saturday the 11th February at 11:00 am – 12:30 pm
Where: In the barrel cellar at Bouchard Finlayson winery, Hemel-en-Aarde Rd/ R320, Hermanus
Wines: There will be a variety of about eight wines of which some will be Bouchard Finlayson as well as one or two international examples.
There is space for only 20 guests, thus please r.s.v.p. soonest in order to secure your seat in this interactive tasting, which will be free of charge.
Join us this year to taste your favourite cultivar – tastings will be conducted by either Peter Finlayson himself, by our Assistant Winemaker, Chris Albrecht, or by myself.
A new year begins as we reap the rewards from the last!
It has been a relatively cool in the month of December with only two very warm days and low rainfall (28 mm).
The vines are healthy and vegetative growth has halted on time this year, as the energy within the plant is now produced and used to start the ripening process. Pinot noir is usually our first cultivar to ripen. With this in mind, Peter Finlayson and Chris Albrecht are making progress with harvest preparation and the new vintage year holds great promise so far!
