2018 HARE HUNTER PINOT NOIR

A portion of our Pinot Noir vines are planted at the highest point on our vineyard, sitting at an altitude of approximately 480m above sea level, with the remaining planted in the two coolest spots in slightly lower parts of our vineyard, at an altitude of around 450m. While our whole vineyard enjoys cool climate conditions, these particular patches are the coolest parts, with rocky soils; ideal for pinot ripening.

Hare hunting has been a much enjoyed pastime for our teenage grandsons over the past couple of years. Despite their best efforts, the lads had never been able to nab one in our Pinot patch, but with each year comes refined skill on both sides. The tally sits at boys 6, hares 20! The hunt continues…

Read ourblog post about the rise of Eden Valley Pinot Noir.

Read our blog post aboutInternational Pinot Noir Day.

2018 Vintage Summary:

The growing season in Eden Valley started off well, with winter 2017 rainfall up slightly higher than average. In spring, drier soils, combined with warmer than average spring days meant the vine canopies grew quickly; flowering well and setting a good number of bunches. Summer rainfall for us was down on average. January and February were warm and dry, with very warm temperatures in February slowing down the pace of ripening. With the lower summer rainfall, growers (like us) with access to water, soil moisture monitoring, good irrigation management and healthy soils experienced less stress and subsequently delivered sound fruit and consistent yields. These are all practices that Brockenchack invest heavily into. The Indian summer of March and early April was what some people are calling ‘the icing on the cake’, with average temperatures, without extremes. Overall a strong, healthy crop for us.

We commenced hand picking for the 2018 vintage on the 1st of March with our Pinot Noir the first grapes to come off our vines. 

We are delighted with the high-quality grapes and great yields that this vintage delivered. The colours and flavours in our reds are exciting and the high level of natural acids in our whites reflect our great Eden Valley characteristics. Standout varieties for our region this year include Riesling, Chardonnay, Shiraz, Grenache and Cabernet. We are very excited for the release of all our 2018 reds in due course.