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Jackson Estate says 2020 Marlborough vintage potential to be ‘the best ever’

Although still “very early to predict”, Jackson Estate said the wines were expected to be of “excellent quality”. 

“At Jackson Estate, virtually all of the fruit has now made it into the winery, and the quality of the fruit is as good as I have ever seen in my entire career in viticulture,” said Matt Duggan, viticulturist, Jackson Estate. 

“The year 2020 will not be a year we forget. Although Covid-19 will mostly be responsible for that, it cannot be understated that the wines from vintage 2020 will likely be some of, if not the very best, ever produced in Marlborough,” he said.  

“Mother Nature played ball with regards to a wonderfully long, dry ripening phase, comprised of warm sunny days, and crisp cold nights (the frost fans even started up a few times during harvest, as the temperatures dipped close to zero) – perfect for the low and slow ripening required for exceptional cool-climate wines. There was virtually zero disease pressure across the entire Jackson Estate vineyards.”

Across all Jackson Estate Vineyards, the average yield was just 9.65 T/Ha for Sauvignon Blanc, down 31% from “our own modest targets, and a whopping 42% lower than the district average (circa 16.5 T/Ha)”, he added. 

“Sauvignon Blanc yields are very low due to the wet then dry climate, while Pinot Noir yields were not affected due to their earlier flowering compared to Sauvignon Blanc,” said Duggan.

In relation to Covid-19, while the pandemic had created “headaches - both in the vineyard and in the winery”,  Jackson Estate had managed to get all the fruit into the winery, and in “absolute pristine condition to boot” thanks to an “enormous amount of dedication and effort from our strong team”.

Gonzalez Byass UK is the exclusive distributor in the UK for Jackson Estate. 

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• Pinot Noir
• Sauvignon Blanc
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• marlborough
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• Covid-19