Tolchards Wine Brochure 2023 - Magazine - Page 243
A N G E L S A N D C O W B OY S / U S A - 2 4 3
TEL L U S HOW THINGS W ENT
W ITH THIS Y EA R’S V INTAGE ?
Vintage 2023 kept us on our toes but
rewarded our care and concern with
stylish, racy, complex wines. It was
another year for our growers’ expertise
to shine through and an ongoing
reminder of the value of trust and
partnership in winegrowing.
This year mother nature made it
clear she was in charge and would
part with her fruit only when she
was good and ready!
The late start to vintage 2023 had
all of us in Sonoma County champing
at the bit to bring in our fruit. A very
wet winter, followed by a wet spring,
a late bud-break, protracted bloom, and
unseasonably cool summer set the stage
for slow, delayed ripening and more than
a few sleepless nights wondering when
this vintage would start rolling in!
We finally began picking on September
11th in Dry Creek Valley with Syrah for
Angels & Cowboys. The fruit flavour
and complexity proved to be worth the
wait! Fruit trickled in from the warmer
areas of Sonoma before our Mendocino
County fruit pulled ahead with regard to
maturity and by the end of September,
our Mendocino fruit was harvested and
fermenting away. We finally crushed our
last fruit, delicious Russian River Valley
Zinfandel for Angels and Cowboys
on October 21st and finished draining
and pressing on 1st Novemeber,
our latest vintage.
