Tim's Ravings

Rain, rain, go away... What a vintage. It feels like it rained non-stop from bud burst to harvest. It's also been unseasonably cool. Cold and wet are ideal conditions for vine and soil health, but are seriously challenging for a Vigneron. I'm writing this on the 25th March and we have just picked our last batch of Cabernet on a huge day that extended well into the night (pictured above). What a relief to have the fruit safely in the winery. Cheers to 2022!

WEATHER CONDITIONS 

TEMPERATURE In a very cool year, Spring 2021 saw mean maximum temperatures significantly below average, with November and December '21 both a massive 7⁰C cooler than 2019. We've only had a handful of days over 30⁰ all season.

RAINFALL Consistent (felt like constant) rainfall from Winter through Autumn across multiple rain events. November (a critical time for flowering and fruit set) was the wettest on record with 178 mls. A hail storm at the beginning of January hit Block 3 hard, but resulted in a manageable 10% loss across the whole vineyard. We've enjoyed a few brief periods of sunshine, breeze and "clear air" since then - just enough to ripen the grapes.

THE VINEYARD, THE VINES, THE FRUIT SOIL HEALTH 

Soils are better than ever thanks to organic fertilisers, another year of mid-row crops, composting, mulching, and of course all that lovely rain. All KPIs are positive (eg. the earthworm count!), but the thing we're happiest about is how well the land is coping with all the rain thanks to improved water infiltration and consumption from the mid-row crops which has given us uninterupted access to the vineyard - so critical for sprays in a year like this. 

VINE CONDITION / YIELDS The vines are in exceptionally good health after their third wet winter and second moderate spring and summer. As a result of this health, managing the vigour of both canopy and fruit has been a major challenge this season, but it's a great problem to have, and scarred as we are by the recent drought, one that we can't complain about. Further to shoot thinning, we have "tucked and plucked" canes and leaves to expose the fruit on key blocks, and hedged the rest by tractor. Fruit-thinning in the Grenache and Shiraz will reduce yields further, nonetheless, yields look very good. The young Grenache planted in the depths of drought in 2019, is finally flourishing and looks magnificent. The Chardonnay planted at the same time is bearing quality fruit this year and the Shiraz planted in 2020 is thriving.

DISEASE PRESSURE Spring and Summer saw a major battle against Downy with the vines almost constantly wet, the skies overcast and still, with mild temperatures. We deployed both preventative and curative measures including hedging / wrapping the vines to expose the grapes to whatever sun and wind was there. As the red grapes reached target ripeness, botrytis reared its ugly head. Our only losses were Block 1 Shiraz and part of Block 2 - heartbreaking, but I'm so proud of the team. They did everything right and produced great fruit.

HARVEST 

HARVEST DATES First pick was the Pinot Noir for the Rose on the 16/02/22 which was 2 to 3 weeks later than last year. Last pick was Block 9 Cabernet on the night of 24/03/22. Rain continued to plague us to the bitter end - with a heavy fall of 14ml on the morning of the last pick. 

WHITES Cool conditions deliver freshness, elegant flavour profiles, beautiful natural acids and great line and length. All the whites are looking excellent in tank / barrel. Yields across the board were above expectations, and quality is excellent. 

REDS Slow ripening in cool, autumnal conditions will result in elegant wines with varietal, cool climate characters. Shiraz: Lovely flavours in the fruit. Blocks 18, 19 and 10 are looking really good. Block 4 was selectively hand-picked to work around some emerging disease - the fruit we brought in to the winery is excellent. Block 1 was a write-off (it succumbed to botrytis literally overnight - something that we've never seen before) and Block 2 was only partially picked - frustrating after all the extra love it had this year, including the straw mulch we spread this spring. 

Cabernet: Cabernet loves the cold, and fruit flavours are superb. It was a battle to get to target ripeness without letting disease take hold but we are really happy with the fruit in the winery, and with higher than expected yields from Block 9. 

Grenache: Tim is especially excited to be making our first Reserve Grenache this year using fruit from the 5 year old Block 15 alongside the lighter"nouveau style" of the Estate Range blend. He is experimenting with 10 to 30% whole bunches in 3 separate batches of the reserve wine while the fruit is cold-soaking prior to fermentation.