A SMOOTH RIDE AFTER A ROCKY ROAD
HARVEST 2022
27 JUIN 2022
De Trafford
The growing season was excellent but challenging due to the rain and our decision to go fully organic. Despite frequent fungicide applications, done manually by Tao and Busi, we navigated the season without major infections. More on our holistic approach can be found under “Mindful Winemaking” on our website.
December's dry spell, following our Garden Party, allowed crucial vine hydration before January's heat. Early ripening mirrored 2012, when our Blueprint Syrah excelled, signaling promising things to come!
Despite the heat the season was still a little later than usual, which I always enjoy, as it gives us more time to prepare. Although the harvest looked set to be a long bumpy road, it turned out to be a rather smooth ride. We had very few late nights and managed to get everything picked in perfect condition at just the right time.
I guess it helps when you only work with 75 tons, and you can give every barrel the necessary attention. Once again, our team was on song and as everything is done by hand at De Trafford this is always critical. We look forward to keeping you updated with the 2022 vintage journey and releasing the wines over the next 7 years – from Plan B to Elevation 393!
At De Trafford we have always carved our own path – that’s how we ended up at the end of a beautiful valley in the first place. At times the critics see the logic and beauty in what we’re about and at times they may think we’ve got a bit lost. Fine wine takes decades to produce and cannot be subject to the whims of fashion.
We are proud of our 26th release of De Trafford Merlot. A distinctive, compelling wine that you must have. Cheers, David & the de Trafford Team