The last of the fruit is now safely tucked away in the winery and 2017 promises to be a very good year for Glenguin(on par with 2006/7 and 2014) with two new wines and the potential return of an old favourite.
A demanding season with high heat and very little in the way of rain, 2017 did test our dam levels but the vines survived the heat and have produced some exceptional fruit. Our semillon was harvested on February 7, which is a little later than normal, and has developed some very interesting textures and flavours which will make the 2017 Glenguin Vineyard Semillon an interesting wine indeed. The important thing is that the wine is in balance and early signs are that the finished wine could be in the mould of 2006, combining ripe citrus characters with decade plus longevity.
We have also been lucky to obtain semillon from the acclaimed Casuarina vineyard in Pokolbin. Casuarina was planted in 1968 and forms a chain of exceptional semillon vineyards from Tyrrell’s HVD vineyard, first planted in 1908, through to the highly rated Braemore and Casuarina. This fruit will become a new wine for Glenguin in 2017 – the Casuarina Semillon which will be launched later in the year. We’re excited to have the opportunity to make wine from one of the best semillon vineyards in Pokolbin to sit alongside our Glenguin Vineyard Semillon, itself a distinguished site.
Continuing this theme, vintage 2017 will also see us make a shiraz from fruit sourced from another well renowned vineyard in Pokolbin – Black Cluster. Originally part of the Hermitage Estate plantings, Black Cluster then became part of Wyndham Estate’s Hunter Valley plantings until the block’s sale in 2013. Over the years, shiraz made from this block has been seen as some of the best in the Hunter Valley. It’s going to be interesting to see how the wine we’re making from this block develops during the winemaking process through to maturation over the next year or so, and it will be great to have a shiraz from Pokolbin as part of the Glenguin offering once more.
Shiraz from the Schoolhouse Block at Glenguin Estate was harvested on February 17. A season of very low disease pressure has seen the vines produce some amazing fruit, the quality of which we have not seen since the much revered 2014 vintage. Indeed, the season shares a number of similarities with 2014 with very low rainfall, although the high temperatures experienced throughout January and February were somewhat unique. As in 2014, the aim this year is to make 3 shiraz wines – Stonybroke, Schoolhouse Block as well as our flagship Aristea.
So with harvest now over and the winemaking running its course, we look forward to the rest of 2017. June will see our new release wines coming out including our 2017 semillons and sticky as well as the release of our 2016 Stonybroke Shiraz. Our cellar door is an amazing place to experience our wines so if you haven’t visited us in a while then 2017 is definitely the year to pay us a visit.
Cheers!
