From new plantings to the established blocks, the vineyard is full of activity as the vines continue their journey toward a vibrant and flavour-packed harvest. Here's an update from Head of Viticulture, Mike Saunders...

"The big news this week is that the new planting in Block 7 is complete. Buds are pushing, and baby Chardonnay vines are underway!

As we don’t use herbicides, these little babies will get a thick cover of compost and mulch in early January to help suppress weeds and retain moisture. Any weeds that pop through will be pulled by hand to minimise soil disturbance as the young vines establish their roots. They’ll be watered daily for their first year, after which we’ll begin weaning them off to encourage their roots to grow deep and search for water.

Around the rest of the block, work continues with spraying and irrigating the vineyard. At the moment, the goal with water is to keep the vines at full water capacity to support fruit set and berry development. Soon, we’ll start to taper off to allow the vines to struggle just a little, helping to concentrate flavours. Mercifully, pest presence has begun to taper off, and encouragingly, any affected vines are showing signs of new growth at the tips.

In terms of growth phase, the whites—specifically Chardonnay—have just passed through lag phase and are heading toward veraison in the first week of January. Lag phase is a two-to-three-week period when berries grow to peppercorn size, then pause their development in favour of building acids and sugars. Veraison is the magical point when berries soften, rapidly accumulate sugar, and grow dramatically in size on their way to harvest. The reds, including Syrah and Cabernet, are a couple of weeks behind, with veraison expected to start mid-to-late January.

Elsewhere in the vineyard, we’re lifting wires to support the soft green growth and keep it upright, ensuring it intercepts as much sunlight as possible. A little leaf removal is underway, particularly in Syrah and Cabernet, where we’re focusing on the morning side of the canopy to let softer sunlight reach the fruit. This approach aids ripening, flavour development, and spray penetration while helping with maintaining vine health. Thanks to earlier shoot thinning, the vines are well set up with excellent airflow and light exposure, requiring only a few small tweaks to fine-tune their balance."