At Gusbourne, we make vintage-only wines. Every year, we set out to tell the story of the growing season: each bottling we craft captures a moment in time and place.
In benevolent years, it’s an easy tale to tell. Even at 51-degrees north, in our marginal winemaking climate, we can achieve generous, clean, flavourful, ripe fruit. But this year was a more complex picture, with a growing season which meant we had tough decisions to make in the vineyard to preserve quality in the winery.
We completed harvest 2024 on Wednesday 23rd October. It’s a vintage which Head Winemaker Mary Bridges describes as “small but mighty”: a year where diminutive yields meant every hand-picked bunch of pristine fruit was as precious as it was flavourful.
The fruit we hand-selected for the winery was characterised by superb phenolic ripeness, balanced sugar and acidity and notably complex aroma and flavour compounds from the long hang-time on the vine. The base wines are already something special, with the Pinot Noir and Meunier revealing “beautiful red-fruit notes,” according to Laura Rhys, Master Sommelier.
But we also had to leave much of our fruit behind. Our relentless focus on quality means we have tightly controlled parameters for ripeness.
The vineyard team worked tirelessly – dropping, or leaving, any fruit which didn’t meet our exacting standards. Meanwhile, in the winery, the team analysed, analysed, analysed, analysed – regularly checking in on different parcels to ensure we picked at peak ripeness. Where fully balanced sugars and acidity weren’t achieved, we didn’t pick at all. These were tough decisions to make, but essential to maintaining our focus on quality.
To understand more about 2024’s fruit, we need to dive into the growing season.
The growing season
“The 2024 season followed a very wet winter,” says Head Vineyard Manager Jon Pollard. “This made the beginning of the year tricky: the ground conditions meant we couldn’t use tractors safely.” Thankfully, in both Sussex and Kent, our seasonal flocks of Romney sheep were an effective way to keep any early weed growth down without the need for machinery in the vineyard.
Budburst was earlier than in 2023: in Kent, we recorded it on 26th March, followed by flowering on 18th June. In this early part of the year, the weather was characterised by frequent rainfall interspersed with mild weather. In Sussex, between budburst and mid-July, there were only two week-long dry periods. “The rain was almost continuous, which meant disease pressure was chomping at our heels the whole season,” says Adam Foden, Vineyard Manager in Sussex.
The picture was similarly damp in Kent. While the total volume of rainfall wasn’t exceptional, the frequency was. And it proved challenging across both our sites: downy mildew became an issue in the canopy. While this disease doesn’t directly affect fruit, it does harm the leaves and canopy of the vines which subsequently stalls fruit ripening.
The remainder of the summer was characterised by wet weather, and often wild winds. In September, Kent experienced 200% of its usual rainfall.
“At the beginning of veraison, when the fruit started to change colour, we knew that not all our vines were going to have the canopy needed to ripen the fruit,” explains Jon. “Without healthy leaves, the sugars simply can’t build up in the grapes.
“Walking the vineyards, especially in Sussex, we had row after row of beautiful looking fruit which we knew we weren’t going to be able to bring in. We kept analysing in case the sugar levels moved, but they had just stalled because of the damage downy mildew caused to the leaves. For vines which had been severely impacted, there was nothing to be done.”
Adam comments: “It might seem counterintuitive to leave fruit out there, but it’s always going to be the right decision for Gusbourne to focus on quality.”
Silver linings at harvest
As difficult as it was to acknowledge that the harvest would be small, the vineyard team were quick to note positives. As harvest approached, it became clear that the cool, damp weather meant that SWD – a pest known as the “vinegar fly” – was almost non-existent: a boon, as these tiny flies can cause huge damage to a crop.
We undertook our most precise, granular harvest to date. The harvest team – a combination of permanent Gusbourne staff, and experienced seasonal pickers – were able to pass through the vineyard dropping unwanted fruit from vines, which allowed for quick, efficient picking when pockets of clear weather arrived. (Gusbourne only picks in dry weather to protect the fruit and preserve concentration.)
In the winery, Mary and her team continuously analysed fruit samples from across the sites, checking for the all-important uptick in sugar and waning of acidity levels which signal peak ripeness. Their work focused on micro-parcels, meaning the pick was incredibly focused and precise. When the fruit came in, it went straight to the presses with minimal waiting time.
Of course, the most meaningful consideration at harvest is not quantity, but quality. “The quality of what we picked was phenomenal,” says Adam, of the Sussex crop. “Mary and the winery team were really happy with what we sent over, especially from our prime Down Field site.”
Jon Pollard noted the Kent fruit was characterised by superb phenolic ripeness. “Having been selected in the vineyard, the Kent grapes were beautiful. One really interesting factor this year is the phenological ripeness achieved (versus just the sugar and acidity ripeness).
“Because the fruit was on the vine for a long time, and had had a lengthy ripening period, those phenological characteristics – the aromas which build up over time – have been very good. Also, the pips were brown and mature, which is not always achieved even in a really warm year. So, from a flavour point of view, the winery’s opinion is that we’ve got really good fruit to play with.”
In the winery
A later-than-usual start to harvest meant that Mary and AJ, Head of Wine Operations, had all aspects of the winery – including the seasonal interns – up-to-speed, poised and ready to go when the fruit started landing on the pad.
“From start to finish, harvest this year took more than six weeks,” said Mary. “It was quite the contrast to last year’s higher volume but short harvest which was done in fewer than three.
“In the winery, it meant we had plenty of time which we’ve used to our advantage by making sure we have incredible data from vineyard fruit analysis.” We took samples from all blocks, even those we intended not to harvest to form as full as picture as possible. “We were incredibly grateful to the vineyard team for their careful work, because the fruit which we received was in lovely condition,” says Mary.
“The Pinot Meunier has been especially pretty: some of the first Mill Hill East and Lower Mill Hill Meunier which came in had really delicate red fruit; it’s a little bit floral and it’s softening into something beautiful. The quality’s wonderful, it’s just the quantity that’s missing this year.
The reduced quantity of base wine has given rise to some interesting winemaking opportunities for the team, too. “Unusually, we’re not using any 228-litre barrels; we’re just using 500-litre puncheons this year,” says Mary.
The new barrels are all French oak from three different tonnelleries. Mary adds: “I think when you've got a vintage with delicate fruit, you need to be careful about what you're doing from an oak point of view. Where there are delicate characteristics, you want to preserve them. It’s a balance.
“But I think it’s working out well this year. We’ve got lots of minerality this year in the Chardonnay, which is great to see from such an early stage. Then, from what we’ve seen, there’s plenty of precise citrus, pineapple and tropical fruit and lots of orchard fruit notes.”
Laura adds: “From what I’ve tasted so far, I think we’re going to have some wines which are really built for the cellar, with taut acidity – which I love. Cool-vintage wines are often characterised by drive and precision, which – especially with food pairing – is very exciting. But for now, we’ll have to wait and see what the next few months bring.”
Looking ahead
The smaller harvest of 2024 doesn’t mean the team will be resting on their laurels when it comes to experimentation in the winery. Looking at the current base wines, they have at least one brand-new cuvée in mind.
Of course, it’s too early to say for sure – the team will revisit their options in January when they convene to rigorously taste and grade all the wines. But for now, with harvest complete, both the vineyard team and the winery agree: 2024 is a year apart, without comparison. The wines could be some of our finest; but without question, they will be some of our most precious.
