Magic Marlborough Vintage
Magic Marlborough Vintage Long autumnal harvest delivers outstanding quality
Photo Helen Morrison
“It was definitely one of those vintages where patience was key.” Booster Wine Group Chief Marlborough Winemaker Helen Morrison. Photo Jim Tannock.
PRESS RELEASE: 10 MAY 2023
Marlborough’s 2023 vintage “could have gone so wrong and came out so well”, says Astrolabe Winemaker Simon Waghorn. “Every winemaker I’ve spoken to is pretty excited and also a bit bemused.”
Despite the perils of a wet and cool spring and summer, harvest was “magic” across the board, thanks largely to a lingering harvest under optimal autumnal conditions, he adds. “I think all the varieties have benefitted from more time on the vines and ripening a bit later.”
Booster Wine Group Chief Marlborough Winemaker Helen Morrison is also excited about the 2023 wines, harvested later than recent years, but closer to the “classic” vintage period. “It was definitely one of those vintages where patience was key,” she said in late April, days before the company’s final handpick of a hillside of Cabernet Franc. That’s meant “really nice flavours and really nice ripeness levels”, while grapes retained their acidity.
Wine Marlborough General Manager Marcus Pickens says the excellent vintage is “absolutely the best way” to celebrate 50 years of Marlborough’s modern wine industry. “In August 1973, Montana planted the first vines here, setting this region on a journey of extraordinary transformation. Marlborough is now synonymous with Sauvignon Blanc around the world, which is remarkable for a region that is so young in the wine world,” he says. “It’s fantastic to know that the wines from 2023 will be such a wonderful representation of what we can do – when it comes to Sauvignon Blanc of course, but also with the other varieties we have built our reputation on.”
Marlborough’s inclement weather conditions were far from perfect over the spring and summer, with the third La Niña year in a row putting vineyard teams to the test. “Everyone was dreading what could happen,” Simon says. “We were pretty much expecting the worst and wondering where the season was going to go, particularly with Cyclone Gabrielle coming down the country.”
But the cyclone that challenged the North Island left Marlborough largely unscathed, “and from that point on our season seemed to just run into a nice finish”. Autumn ripening was not dry, but rain was either cool or followed by good weather, with no prolonged humidity to aggravate disease. Then a near-frost in March, which could have been a “disaster” mid harvest, instead seemed to halt botrytis in its tracks, Simon says. The result was a slow and long ripening season, healthy vines without disease pressure, and clean fruit at harvest, “so very, very good”.
Plant & Food Research Marlborough’s Rob Agnew, who records and reports on weather for the wine region, says there were 21 botrytis infection periods in Marlborough from mid-November 2022 to the end of March 2023, compared to 12 the previous season. The period of those infections exacerbated the potential risk, because in the 2021/2022 season they were confined to December and February, whereas in this growing season infections occurred in November, December, January, February and March. “But we didn’t see the botrytis we expected to see,” says Rob. “Marlborough has been so incredibly lucky disease wise in the last few years. It’s phenomenal.”
It was a “remarkable vintage”, agrees Babich Wines’ Marlborough Area Viticulture Manager David Bullivant, happy with both quality and quantity of yields. “It’s difficult to remember such a balanced harvest.” Pinot Noir blocks were naturally balanced and the variety looks “very strong”, while it is “hard to find faults with the Sauvignon Blanc”, he says.
Greywacke Winemaker Richelle Tyney was “quite sceptical” coming into vintage 2023, "but the fruit we brought in this year was beautiful”. She’s most excited by the Chardonnay, along with Sauvignon Blanc, which came in clean with great flavours. The change in fortunes for the season became apparent in February, says Richelle. “Walking around the vineyards, the fruit was tasting amazing.”
Saint Clair Family Estate Marketing Manager Julie Ibbotson says supply lines challenges continue, including long lead times and shipping delays. “We have begun to simply expect challenges with getting wine out of the country.” Winemaker Heather Stewart says for her and the rest of the Saint Clair Family Estate winemaking team, it was “just wonderful” to have overseas winemakers and cellar hands back after three years of closed borders. “It just created an energy and excitement which we didn't necessarily have the last couple of vintages.”
To hear more from Simon Waghorn, Heather Stewart, Jules Taylor, and Nigel Sowman on Marlborough’s 2023 vintage, listen to the Wine Marlborough Podcast at marlboroughwinenz.com/podcast.
For more information please contact,
Marcus Pickens
Wine Marlborough General Manager
Ph: +64 3 577 9299
Mob: +64 21 831 820
Email: marcus@winemarlborough.nz
“It was definitely one of those vintages where patience was key.” Booster Wine Group Chief Marlborough Winemaker Helen Morrison. Photo Jim Tannock.
“It’s difficult to remember such a balanced harvest.” Babich Wines’ Marlborough Area Viticulture Manager David Bullivant. Photo Jim Tannock
“The fruit we brought in this year was beautiful.” Greywacke Winemaker Richelle Tyney. Photo Jim Tannock