Voyager Estate - Harvest News March 2011 (IV)

Steve James making us feel as if we are walking along the vineyards with him, soaking in the sun and witnessing the last of the white grapes.

"It has been a busy week with all of our Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon harvested, which basically sees the end of the whites except for a small parcel of Viognier to be harvested with our early picks of Shiraz and co-fermented. The season has delivered excellent flavours for the Sauvignon Blanc Semillon blend with a very good palate weight and fruit intensity. The latter harvested batches of Semillon contribute a nice textural component to the wine.

Around 20% of the Semillon portion of this wine is being put to barrel for fermentation, with the aim of building more textural notes and complexity into the wine but without obvious wood character.

The reds are ripening quickly and we are currently spending a lot of time in the field chewing seeds and grape skins - waiting for the optimum tannin ripeness so we can begin the red grape harvest. It looks like we will commence the Shiraz early next week - they are very close but just need a few more days to finish off.

The weather is still warm and dry with slightly cooler conditions forecast for the weekend, which will be a pleasant relief for the vignerons and vines.

Cheers, Steve James."