Vintage 2023 Kicks-off!
Amazing kick-off to vintage this year with our Chardonnay coming into the winery from the 1st March. We’re about 2 weeks later than average this year but that long, slow ripening season means the fruit coming in is concentrated with lots of flavour, lots of bright acidity and the sugars are nicely in balance with flavour and acids. Delicious!
Vintage Update
It’s been an interesting season in the Yarra Valley, a cool and mild Spring with very high rainfall in October and November meant challenging growing conditions. By Christmas we had a couple of spells of warm weather and it’s really dried off since then with some well-timed rain through Summer.
Out in the vineyards it’s been a lovely steady ripening period with big, beautiful canopies on the vines that are driving ripening. Cool nights have also maintained lovely, pronounced natural acids.
"There's some incredible intensity in the Chardonnay's and we're already seeing great ripeness and power in the Pinots. Pinot Noir grapes should be coming into the winery any day now - from a slow start, it is now all happening with many of our vineyards coming in at once!"
The Vineyards
"We've had some beautiful mild picking conditions for our Chardonnays. Really ideal overcast weather kicked off March. This keeps the fruit nice and cool and you can get them straight into the winery within a few hours of harvesting off the vine. For our Pinot's we're seeing a clear forecast ahead...everything crossed we get a magic run to the finish".
Ash Wood - Head Viticulturalist
The Winery
"With the long, cool season we're seeing some really concentrated flavours and high acid levels which means we're going to have some really good wines that are going to be able to cellar for quite some time. The viticulture team have done an amazing job with such a hard season to get us really clean fruit. We're going to be able to make the style of wine we want to make, which is a credit to them".
Mike Latham - Senior Winemaker