The Harvest
Harvest 2010
The 2010 year started off as a potential disaster as the vineyards were heavily frosted around budburst. As the year progressed it became apparent that the vines, particularly the Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier had recovered, though the crop on the Chardonnay remained pretty sparse. Vines not affected by the frost carried a massive crop (a result of the fantastic weather in 2009 and very good flowering weather in 2010) which, when combined with the miserable summer, condemned many other English Vineyards to unripe and diseased grapes. Not Hush Heath I hasten to add! So it’s an ill wind as they say. June was excellent, July, August and September awful, Harvest was 10 days later than 2009 starting on the 15th October and brought to an abrupt end by a sharp frost on the 21st October. An emergency picking of the Chardonnay brought in some stunning fruit with natural sugars of 10.2% potential alcohol. Sugar levels were average in the Pinot Noir at around 8.7% potential alcohol although yields were double that of the Chardonnay.
Harvest 2009
The 2009 harvest in England was probably one of the finest in the last 20 years. Sugar levels were high and conditions were such that picking could be done when the sugar-acid balance was at its best. The grapes at Hush Heath were of a fantastic quality in this respect.
Chardonnay unusually were picked first being harvested on the 11th of October (16 days earlier than 2008), 7662 kg were picked at 10.9% potential alcohol and 11g / l TA (very ripe – the Chardonnay required no chaptalisation). 10,674 kg of the Pinot Noir were picked on the 11th and 12th, with sugars at 10.2% potential alcohol and between 10.8 and 11.9 g / l TA. The Pinot Meunier were also taken on the 12th, 2,011 kg at 11.1% potential alcohol and 11.9 g / l TA.
Following the 2008 example, a red fermentation was made of the Pinot Meunier, the fermentation being short and pressed off after 6 days with excellent fruit and deep colour. The Pinot Noir and Chardonnay had traditional cool fermentations. The result was a blend somewhat pinker than usual. Recent tastings put raspberry and redcurrant fruit to the fore and it retains its darker pink colour. This was the last Balfour Brut Rosé to be made by Owen Elias at Chapel Down. 14,600 bottles were made. It was bottled in July 2010.
Harvest 2008
2008 was another difficult year in the vineyard. Lessons learnt from 2007 proved invaluable. Harvest was on the late side, the Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir were harvested on the 20th October.
Pinot Meunier at 8.6% potential alcohol, 12g / l TA – 1,061 kg
Pinot Noir at 8.9% potential alcohol, 13g / l TA - 7,814kg
The Chardonnay was picked a week later on the 27th.
Chardonnay at 8.9% potential alcohol, 14g / l TA – 5,169 kg
The Pinot Meunier were de-stemmed and lightly crushed into small 400 l open top fermenters (grey picking bins). It was inoculated and fermented on its skins for 5 days before being pressed off and added to the blend.
The Pinot Noir and Chardonnay underwent their separate fermentations and the blend was put together in January 2009. The final percentages were as follows:
Pinot Noir 53%, Chardonnay 38% and Pinot Meunier 9%, the wine underwent tirage on the 17th June 2009 and 11,300 bottles were bottled.
The wine, released towards the end of 2012, is another classic vintage.
Harvest 2007
2007 was not an easy year in the vineyard. Yields were on the low side and some late season botrytis meant a selective pick further reduced the crop.
The Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier were harvested on the 15th October with sugars at a respectable 67Oc (8.7) and acidity at 12.8g / l, the Chardonnay was picked a week later with sugars at 71Oc (9.4) and a TA of 15g / l. The average yield was just under 2t / acre. Pinot Meunier performed well and makes up a higher proportion of the cuvée than usual at 15%. Pinot Noir is at 34% and Chardonnay at 51%. It is also the only vintage of Balfour that contains a higher proportion of Chardonnay than red varieties.
The winemaking followed the usual Balfour method, though a small portion of the Chardonnay juice was de-acidified by a couple of grams.
The wine was bottled in July 2008 and the first disgorging took place in May 2011.
Harvest 2006
2006 was the warmest year ever recorded in over 350 years of record keeping in the UK and as such, provided perfect conditions for winegrowers. After the good growing conditions in 2006, all three varieties set a very good crop of fruit and the relatively dry summer meant that disease levels were low. The crop was large, the largest ever at Hush Heath, which meant that despite the good growing conditions, ripening took a little longer than might be expected in a fine year and some cooler, wet weather in early October did cause some bunches to succumb to Botrytis.
The Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier were picked on October 16th and the Chardonnay on October 23rd and on both occasions, selective picking was required to harvest 100% clean, undamaged fruit. Nevertheless, very good yields were recorded, with the Pinot Noir yielding 8.5 tonnes / acre at 8.3% potential alcohol and 11.3 g / l total acidity (TA), the Pinot Meunier coming in at 4 tonnes / acre at 9.1% potential alcohol and 14 g / l TA and the Chardonnay 9.78 tonnes / acre at 9.5% potential alcohol and 10 g / l TA. Overall 31,520 kg were harvested. This produces a final blend which is 58% Pinot Noir, 38% Chardonnay and 4% Pinot Meunier.
Fermentations were clean and the wines were all put through a malolactic fermentation to reduce acid levels. The generally high acidities mean that the 2006 Balfour Brut Rosé will require some extra bottle-age before it is ready for disgorging, and will be a long-lived wine.