Moderate Rainfall, Dry Spring and Warmer than Average Summer
Andres Sanhueza, Chief Winemaker for Santa Ema, provides a Q&A on Chile’s 2015 harvest, where he recalls moderate rainfall, dry spring conditions and warmer than average summer temperatures – culminating in a strong vintage that looks especially good for Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Harvesting estate vineyards in the warm Maipo Valley and cool coastal Leyda Valley, Sanhueza works with the 3rd generation of the founding Pavone family to create Chile’s best possible terroir driven wines. Santa Ema is known in the U.S. for such classics as their Reserve Merlot, the number one imported Merlot over $10, according to Nielsen.
How did the season begin? Were there beneficial or challenging weather conditions? How did Santa Ema embrace or overcome this?
The 2014/2015 season started after a rainy winter with more rainfall than the last couple of years but still showing a 40% deficit (275mm). The hours of cold weather were met without problems (700 hours) before the month of August. Therefore, it was considered a good winter for the vineyards. Spring appeared with good temperatures and no presence of rains which helped in the overall conditions during bud break.
When did bud break occur? Were there any challenges or good or bad omens to this timeframe? Was this across all vineyards?
Bud break occurred towards the end of September and early October due to the excellent spring conditions with total absence of frosts, at least in the Maipo valley. It was good homogeny budding and free of plagues or deceases.
When did veraison occur? Were there any challenges or good or bad omens to this timeframe? Was this across all vineyards?
Veraison took place the second fortnight of January and a little bit earlier than expected due to the high temperatures in summer over the norm.
When did harvest occur? What were the yields? Were there any challenges or good or bad omens to this timeframe? Was this across all vineyards?
Harvest began this year on Monday, March 2, 2015. In general terms, harvest has been happening one week earlier than previous years due to a summer and fall with temperatures higher than the norm. In fact the average temperatures for March and April are way higher than the average of the last 5 years, which has resulted in excellent maturity of tannins in red varieties.
Discuss any variance between coastal and inland regions.
The same conditions that we have experienced in the Alto Maipo and Maipo Medio regions, we have seen in the coastal areas like Leyda Valley. Temperatures have been a bit lower due to more over-casted days, but in average temperatures for this area are higher than the norm.
Overall, how did the harvest shape up? How do you summarize the 2015 vintage?
The fruit has been received in excellent conditions, fermenting very well and with nice brix and maturity. Special note on the quality of the Merlots and Cabernet Sauvignon, which will result in wines with round tannins and excellent fruit expression.
