84 days later, with the last grapes going into the press today, harvest is finally completed.
Harvest started slowly and then accelerated with the Merlot for the Rosé and the Sauvignon Blanc blocks all ripening within a 10 day period. Weatherwise, mother nature was benevolent this year. The grapes arrived in the cellar in perfect condition having ripened slowly over the season with no unseasonal rains nor any of heatwaves experienced in other parts of the country.
Our Sauvignon Blanc wines have finished fermenting and are resting on the lees. The effects of the unique terrior on the Single Vineyard wines, the Pincushion and Sugarbush wines, is showing markedly. The components of our award winning Ben Nevis Sauvignon Blanc are in a combination of French oak barrels and in 19 months time we look forward to sharing the outcome with you.
In farming you have to be an eternal optimist. The bunch and berry size of the Syrah was the smallest since 2019, which was an awesome vintage, however the yield was down an effective 40 percent on the 2022 vintage, which is not ideal from a financial point of view!
Whilst it is early days, the flavours and aromatics are looking superb and the wine is maturing in a combination of barrels, tanks and our new foudres – last year’s gift to ourselves. We are cautiously optimistic that the 2024 will be an exceptional year for Cape Agulhas Syrah.
We would like to raise a glass to the harvest and cellar teams whose calm organised professionalism, hard work and enthusiasm ensured that the 2024 harvest was the finest ever experienced at Lomond.
The vineyards of Lomond are surrounded by indigenous flora known as Fynbos. This single vineyard wine is named after a vulnerable listed species endemic to the Agulhas region, Amarylis Belladonna. The Syrah, Mourvèdre and Viognier vineyards are planted in north-west facing blocks on the lower reaches of the farm within view of the sea. An award winning blend, it is maroon-edged deep vermilion in colour. It has a bouquet of juicy red fruit with spice, faintly smoky floral and black fruit. It also has savoury aromas of dark chocolate, spice and red fruit. A firm Lomond favourite.
Visit the farm
Fynbos Walks: Discover the magic of our vineyard with a guided fynbos tour. Embark on an immersive two-hour walk exploring indigenous vegetation, unique plant adaptations, and medicinal uses of flora.
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A curated selection of 12 bottles of wine, handpicked by our Cellarmaster, consisting of vinoteque, small batch and exclusive ultra-premium wines. By definition, this will be a limited offering as there is not an infinite number of bottles available.
So much is happening on the farm and we are very excited about what the year holds for us. We always welcome your feedback, so please email us at office@lomond.co.za if you have any questions.
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Look out for your next update in May.
The Lomond Team
