2020 Vintage Report

2020 is not necessarily a year we all need reminding about. But for the vines at Bluestone, it was a rather good one. Whilst much of normal life came to a halt, the vines had their own timetable to follow, beginning the growing season unusually early in response to to a warm, dry spring.

For us, 2020 was a particularly significant vintage. We had our first harvest of more than 20 tonnes, and the conditions gave us the confidence to make two additional wines for the first time; our first Blanc de Blanc and our first Saignée.

Early budburst

The winter had been mild and wet, followed by an unusually warm and dry spring. Budburst came early, putting the vines ahead of their usual schedule.

Across England, the early start brought considerable frost risk, with damaging frosts affecting many vineyards in April and May. At Bluestone, however, we were fortunate to avoid significant frost damage, allowing the early growth to continue.

April was particularly warm and sunny, followed by a dry May. Flowering also took place in generally favourable conditions, and the warmth continued into summer. June brought some welcome rain before temperatures rose again, while July and August provided plenty of warmth and sunshine to drive ripening.

A vintage of quality

2020 was generally characterised by lower yields across English vineyards, with smaller bunches and berries contributing to concentrated fruit. For a young vineyard such as ours, however, the story was somewhat different.

Our vines were still establishing themselves and moving towards full production, so while yields across the country were generally down, 2020 was our first 20-plus tonne harvest, a significant milestone for us.

More importantly, the fruit coming into the winery was exceptionally promising.

The Chardonnay showed the ripeness, concentration and balance that gave us the confidence to make our first Blanc de Blanc. It was a particularly good year to let the variety speak for itself, and 2020 became the foundation for a wine that would not have been made without the quality of fruit in the vineyard.

The Pinot Noir was equally compelling. Ripe, generous and full of flavour, it prompted us to make our first Saignée, capturing some of the beautifully ripe Pinot fruit.

Saignée is made by drawing off a portion of the juice from the Pinot Noir must, allowing greater concentration in the remaining wine while giving us a small volume of rosé with its own character.

Harvest

By harvest, the season had moved quickly. The combination of early budburst, warm conditions and a dry summer meant that the grapes reached maturity earlier than usual.

The wider 2020 English harvest was one of the earliest in recent years. Growers reported high sugar levels and smaller than average bunch weights, with the dry conditions helping to concentrate the fruit.

At Bluestone, we brought in more than 20 tonnes of grapes, our largest harvest to that point and were very pleased to be able to welcome our harvest volunteers again this year, for socially distanced grape-picking.