HARVEST ON THE HORIZON
Chief Winemaker, Tim Shand, shares the latest from the vineyard as the team prepare for a lightning quick harvest...
"A hot spell this week has us thinking about when harvest will begin.
The rain that was forecast to push south from Cyclone Sean never quite materialised—we would have welcomed it! January has only delivered 5mm so far.
What we have had is humidity, but only a couple of really hot days. The season has been warm, but (touch wood) we’ve avoided heat spikes. Veraison is nearly complete in Chardonnay and well underway in Shiraz, Cabernet, and Chenin Blanc, setting us up for picking in the first or second week of February. While this timing is on par with a typical start to vintage, everything suggests that once we begin, it will be a fast-moving harvest. Cabernet, in particular, is veraising early, a sign that it won’t lag this year—likely a reflection of the warm winter, which has thrown some varieties out of their usual rhythm.
In the vineyard, the old Chardonnay blocks are looking clean and healthy, while Cabernet is beautifully balanced and full of life. The team has done an excellent job with canopy management and regular passes through the vineyard, and so far, conditions have been ideal.
Weevils made their presence known in December, particularly in younger Chardonnay blocks and the Old Block Cabernet. Mike and the team worked through the nights trialling different organic approaches, gaining valuable insights for the seasons ahead. That experience has sparked new ideas for how we’ll manage them next year—always learning, always adapting.
With no marri blossom yet, nets are going out fast—particularly to protect against ringnecked parrots, who are keen this year.
The vineyard crew has also been busy thinning fruit, and a green harvest is on the horizon for Cabernet, trimming away the last of the lagging bunches as veraison wraps up.
Irrigation has been approached differently this season, with longer, less frequent watering to encourage deeper root growth. The vines have responded well to the change, and this shift should enhance both fruit concentration and site expression in the finished wines. Meanwhile, water reserves in the dams are holding better than this time last year—good news for the vineyard team.
At Broadvale Block 7, the young Chardonnay vines are thriving under daily watering and a thick layer of mulch. Planting them in the warmest part of the season to avoid pest pressure was a calculated risk, but it has paid off.
In the winery, we’ve bottled the 2024 Chardonnays, and only an organic audit now stands between us and the first pick of the season. We’ve also welcomed a few new faces to our vintage team. All signs point to an exciting harvest ahead!"