The Sun Really Does Shine After The Storm
After a year that brought the effects of bushfires and a global pandemic to our region and the heart of our business, we can honestly say that the sun really does shine after the storm.
The 2021 grape harvest has delivered outstanding grape quality, flavours and yields, and a promise of great wines to come.
It's now an even more exciting time for us and the winemaking team, led by Warren Proft, as the Winery is full with lots of ferments and wines to evaluate and blend. It's probably the busiest time for a winemaker, but Warren still had time to share his review and reflections of the 2021 grape harvest with us.
"Vintage 2021 was a roller coaster of a season that ultimately left us with a big smile on our faces. With predictions of a La Nina year, the prospects of a wet cool year were not appealing.
Regular rain events keeping the frosts at bay led to an early budburst, and a game of cat and mouse trying to stay ahead of the weather in applying preventative sprays for mildews. It seemed like the rain events were coming in an uncanny weekly cycle.
By mid November though, the spring pattern of rain stopped, La Nina seemed to disappear, and the next two-and-a-half months were incredibly dry. By the time the vines had set fruit and the grapes were rapidly growing, the soil profiles had dried out creating optimum conditions for the vines to focus on berry development.
The lack of rain come New Year, also brought on the necessity to irrigate. Come late January, the skies decided to open again bringing a series of deluges. Rain that was welcomed to quench the dry ground initially, but became unwelcome as its persistence made the threat of bunch rot and potentially losing a crop real. Fortune favoured us though, with the rain moving on just in time leaving dry cool conditions before the grape harvest.
Whites came off on time, with good levels of natural acidity and flavour. The reds (which most are still fermenting at time of writing) are showing great potential, with good ripe fruit flavours, great colour, and mature tannins.
A very positive vintage with great quality all round!"
