The 2013 harvest was expected to be early, with the Easter full moon very close to the autumn equinox, and sure enough budburst started early in spring 2012 with green shoots emerging in the first week of September suggesting this would be so. All varieties woke to a cool and mild spring, with cabernet the last to greet the sun on October 1. A snow flurry in early October led into a mild November, with warm days and nights providing excellent conditions for flowering. Set was excellent across all varieties. Spring was conspicuous for its dryness but thankfully frost free, and as summer approached the vines developed beautifully balanced canopies and rain was just a distant memory. It was not to rain again until the end of harvest, seven dry months that produced a green drought. As harvest time approached, it was abundantly clear that 2013 was going to be exceptional in terms of yield and quality across all varieties - a rare thing in the lofty airs of Lenswood and Littlehampton, where weather events usually dictate terms that are best described as challenging! Chardonnay and riesling were fabulous, as too were sauvignon blanc, gewürztraminer, merlot and cabernet. The 2013 harvest will be remembered as near perfection in a year of snow and drought, truly a rare and exceptional vintage.
