Harvest 2024 kicked off some 10 days earlier than the average for Diemersdal, the result of a dry summer and a warm, sunny start for the new year’s vineyard conditions.
Despite the more than 900mm of rain Diemersdal saw last year, and along with a harsh, cold winter, the lack of surface moisture led to grapes reaching ripening levels earlier than which is normally the case. Currently Diemersdal is harvesting its primary cultivar, Sauvignon Blanc, at a rate of knots with some 100t of grapes hitting the winery each day and the harvesters running from 02.00 to capture the fruit’s cool pre-dawn zest.
Thys Louw, sixth generation owner-winemaker on Diemersdal, says his vineyards are especially dependent on the whims of climate as all 200ha of the estate’s vineyards are dryland farmed, meaning that the only moisture their soils receives is from rainfall.
“Of course, last year the vineyards were very happy as the above-average rain ensured the soil was wet right down to the very ends of the vine-roots, some of which are six meters below the surface,” he says. “The deeper clay component lying below the shallower decomposed granite held this moisture well, also keeping the roots cool as the warm summer set in. But the extended warm weather at the end of last year and throughout the summer thus far has led to the sugar-levels rising at a fervent pace, leading to an earlier harvest.”
Expecting a bumper crop in terms of yields as the bunches formed at the end of last year, Thys says you can never accurately predict what a vintage will hold. “There are a lot of bunches out there, and initially the harvested fruit showed lighter yields,” he says. “However, the grapes coming in right now are healthy in terms of bunch-weight and expressive flavour profiles.
“The fruit currently hitting the cellar is showing brilliant quality. Sauvignon Blanc bunches are healthy, packed with flavour and accurately express their cultivar. The main reason for this is the falling night temperatures we experience on Diemersdal. Days can be 30°C, but at night that drops down to temperatures in the early teens. Together with a cool southerly breeze, freshness and zest is captured in the grapes when we harvest pre-dawn.”
The vigorous growth of the canopies has also helped to provide protection from the harsher sunlight by providing shade for the bunches.
With the early pickings of Sauvignon Blanc already fermenting in cellar, Thys says the impression is one of brightness and energy in the 2024 wines. “Despite the warm weather, we are seeing electric acidities and expect the finished wines to have freshness and exuberance along with the tropical and mineral features for which Durbanville Sauvignon Blanc is known,” he says.