THE LATEST
Marlborough 2025 Harvest
Marlborough has been blessed with another dry and generally warm growing season through 2025.
Marlborough 2025 Harvest Summary
Marlborough has been blessed with another dry and generally warm growing season through 2025.
The Start of the Season
Summer hit early and there was a very warm and settled period from late November through late December. This made for ideal flowering conditions for all varieties. Lots of grape flowers successfully pollenated leading to a high potential yield in all subregions of Marlborough.
Cooler after Christmas
In January however, temperatures cooled off somewhat. The higher yields became more obvious through the month as the berries began to develop, and many blocks had to reduce crop. Mainly this was done by mechanical shaking or bunch removal but in extreme circumstances cutting a cane was required. This meant January was very busy in the vineyard with estimating yields and monitoring the required crop reduction.
Once the kids were back at school in February, the weather improved again, and the growing season picked up once more.
Kicking into harvest
Harvest began on the 25th of February. Interestingly many of the early picks this year were very close to the same dates as last year’s harvest. However, this season the higher crops meant the remainder of harvest was much more spread out and never overly frenetic. Stable weather meant there was no disease pressure and Jules was able to be patient and harvest blocks as they reached their peak flavours.
The first Sauvignon Blanc was harvested early morning on 17th of March from first cropping vines at the Wrekin Ball vineyard. The following day the new vines at Northope were also harvested and then there was around a week to wait until the older blocks were ready for harvest. The last block of Awatere Sauvignon Blanc was completed on the 7th of April.
How will the 2025 wines taste?
Let’s hear it from Jules herself:
“The wines from this vintage are looking fantastic. Flavours are bright and concentrated across the board, with Chardonnay and Pinot Gris particularly showing great texture and depth. The Sauvignon Blanc is vibrant and juicy with lovely citrus and tropical flavours. It has a tighter structure than some years, but one that is opening up beautifully and will likely age well. The 2025 Pinot Noirs are elegant and perfumed, showcasing a finesse that I personally love. I can’t wait to get these wines into bottle and to share them with you soon!"
