Mike's Musing April 2009
"The
2009 harvest season at Belfield finally came to an end on Friday the
24th of April, when the Cab was harvested a full 17 days later than
last year!
The 7 days prior to the Cab harvest saw my angst
levels climb, as a combination of cellar capacity, rainy weather, short
weeks due to all the holidays, (including Zuma's Day of course ) saw
what I felt was optimum phenolic ripeness in our flagship slip out of
our grasp!
An unexpected sunny day on Friday, saw the crop into
the cellar, after being able to obtain the services of some really
energetic labour, managed by a charismatic, and extremely efficient
lady labour broker. She is a blend of Helen Zille, Patricia De Lille,
and Maggie Thatcher. A formidable lady!
And, after all the worry
and uncertainty around the harvest of the Cab, the grapes looked in
fine condition.....the cellar will be the final judge!!!!
This
year has seen us increase our tonnage. We have also crushed Shiraz and
Cabernet Franc for the first time.This has meant a busier time in the
cellar as the Merlot, Shiraz and Cabernet Franc all went into the
cellar on the same day. And so the 2009 vintage is on its way!
The
2008 vintage is now settling down in the bottle. The 2008 Merlot has
been bottled separately, as we felt that it has wonderful potential. In
fact, we hope to release it within the next two months! There are only
1700 bottles, so if you would like to lay your hands on a bottle, or
two, don't delay! It is very good stuff, which has been confirmed by
some seasoned and highly qualified palates!
Otherwise we have
revamped our label, retaining the familiar "Belfield" sash, but in
white! You will see it on our 2007 Magnifica, which will be released in
a few weeks. We believe it successfully portrays quality, stylishness
and the uniqueness of Belfield.
The release of our 2007
Magnifica, does mean that the 2006 is almost sold out. So, should you
want to restock with the 2006 Magnifica, this is your last chance.
Our
ego was stroked recently, when we were invited by WOSA to send sample
bottles of our 2006 Magnifica to a New York tasting by Steve Tanzer, a
leading US wine critic. We were awarded 88+% at the tasting!
Enjoy your Belfield wine, but think of me selflessly toiling away in the cellar for your future enjoyment."
Greetings,
Mike and the Belfield team
