Pas De Nom Rosé

Going into the 2023 season on the back of a slightly “drier” winter and a warmer spring, budbreak at Beau occurred around 12 days early. There was no real disease pressure during Spring and early summer, and very little stress induced by vineyard pests. First flower hoods detached from around 24 October, which was luckily only after receiving 34mm of rain. Though we were grateful to receive some rain right before flowering, this rain combined with additional heat during October led to increased vegetative growth resulting in increased humidity within the canopy – not ideal for the flowering microclimate. It meant a season of increased suckering to allow for air movement as well as better penetration of sprays in the bunch zone. Bunches seemed to set more loosely than in prior years, and though berry size was relatively consistent, bunches were lighter.

Mid December rains led to soil reserves being filled and us seeing another spike in vegetative growth. The increased water and heat also pointed towards more strenuous management of weeds on the vineyard floor, which we left to try and counteract the strong vegetative growth and resultant slower reproductive growth in the vineyard. It was dry from late December through January, with a welcome 15mm of rain on the 25th just to allow for a little bit of extra hangtime during an otherwise early season. February showed textbook conditions and we were very happy with the white crop and the start of the red harvest, which both showed beautiful phenolic ripeness at lower sugar levels and higher than average acid concentrations.