2021 Vintage
2021 was Johannes Jülg’s first year as an organic grower, and it turned out to be a baptism of fire. The year started promisingly, but June and July were wet and cold, with poor flowering and constant disease pressure in the form of downy mildew and the threat of Suzuki fly. But Johannes is one of the most determined and well organised growers in our portfolio, and through sheer hard work, he and his team rose to the challenge, working late into the night, and pushing them to their limits. Fortunately, August and September were fine, the fruit ripened evenly and harvesting began on 20 September, later than usual these days. The grapes were destemmed completely, as the stems were not ripe enough to go into the vats. The wines were left in cask longer than usual, so that they could gain structure, and less new oak was used – around 25% – so as not to overwhelm them. The wines are delicate, finely fruited and extraordinarily elegant: they have extract, ripeness, concentration, and purity. In Johannes’s view this will be a great, age worthy year. Sadly, yields are down over 50%.
2022 Vintage
2022 was dry and hot, but rain fell at just the right times, and the crop, while still small has produced and outstanding set of wines: balanced, fresh and perfectly ripe.