For the 2011 vintage we we’re given a special opportunity to acquire barrels all sourced from one 400 year old French oak tree from the forests of Northern France. Sadly, the tree had to be felled for structural reasons after some particularly bad weather, so at least it was being put to good use. Needless to … Continue reading 2011 ‘The Curly’ Pinot Noir – Chene De Beaux Monts Barrels
This week has seen the first of our picking for Vintage 2014. It has started off small, firstly a parcel of Chardonnay picked on Tuesday and then yesterday the first of our Pinot Noir. It has been a difficult year for all growers, some more than others. After months of no real rainfall to speak … Continue reading Exciting times and an anxious wait….
Now that the dust from Vintage 2013 has settled, we can now look back. This harvest was the most contracted, in terms of the time taken between our first and last pick, since full production began in 2004. By full production we mean when each of our 7 blocks each began producing wine grapes simultaneously, which usually … Continue reading Vintage 2013 in barrel, Vintage 2014 is underway…
Click above to see a video of the bottling of our 2011 Curly Flat Chardonnay. On the bottling run that is! Last week we bottled our 2011 Curly Flat Chardonnay, a vintage that has not only produced some exciting wines, but also provided for our greatest challenge “yet” viticulturally speaking. On this we are far from … Continue reading On the run again!
Last week we reviewed each and every barrel (as we do every year) from the 2011 vintage to determine the split between our two labels. Before we explain our barrel classification process, first a little about the two labels. Curly Flat and Williams Crossing have always represented exceptional value in terms of purity in both … Continue reading Curly Flat and Williams Crossing…how do we decide?
After 20 months in barrel, the 2010 Curly Flat Pinot Noir now moves onto its next phase. We have now transferred all barrels to tank via our peristaltic pump and the wine will now rest and await bottling early next year. We do this not only to allow any residual lees to settle out, but it also gives … Continue reading 2010 Pinot Noir out of barrel…
Although vintage is between three and four months away, it is ever present in our minds. In the meantime though we have plenty to keep us busy. For instance we’ve modified our existing 4000 litre stainless steel tanks to have doors and racking valves. This gives us further flexibility in or out of vintage when racking juice … Continue reading New doors for the fours…
Currently in the winery we are about to place our oak order for the 2012 vintage, securing our selected barrels and ensuring that they have adequate time to arrive from France. The above photo illustrates our oak matrix and the myriad of elements that make up the decision making process. To make it more interesting, … Continue reading Decisions, decisions…
Curly Flat Vineyard 