Vintage 2025 is off to a flying start, with Chardonnay picking kicking off last Wednesday and the team already making great progress across the vineyard. Early conditions have kept the team on their toes, but the fruit quality is looking exceptional, setting the stage for another exciting harvest. Here's Chief Winemaker, Tim Shand, with a few insights...

"Chardonnay picking kicked off last Wednesday, starting slowly before picking up pace across the vineyard. The warm nights made the decision tricky - acid levels were dropping, but flavours weren’t quite there yet. It felt like we were edging towards the start line, only to have everything accelerate once we did.

One standout was V12, one of our few spur-pruned blocks. Its even ripening and lush canopy meant we could pick earlier than usual, and the fruit looked exceptional. By Saturday, we were into the icon blocks - Broadvale Block 6 and the western half of Block 5. Block 6 held true to its style with bright acidity, and malolactic fermentation is already on the way for this batch.

Meanwhile, Block 5 is heading to barrel with incredible depth and classic citrus tones, showing none of the caramelisation that can come through in warmer vintages. Next up: finishing Blocks 5 and 6, then onto B10, B11, and B9. If the weather holds, we’ll keep back part of B10 to build more ripeness and volume in the Voyager Estate blend.

In a bit of a surprise, our Sparkling Chenin came in early this year - usually, it follows Chardonnay. It landed in the ripe peach zone but still with beautifully fresh acidity. With the warm conditions, the team has been covering serious ground with hand-picking, and the fruit quality has been outstanding. The netting crew has been working hard to stay ahead, and their next focus will be protecting Cabernet and Semillon. More to come soon!"