Our Head of Viticulture, Mike Saunders, delves into the intricacies of vine management as we creep ever closer to vintage 2025.

"Our team is now in full swing with spray applications. As I shared last time, we stick to organic, elemental products that need reapplying every 7-10 days, depending on the level of biological stress. Sometimes it feels like we’re just finishing one round and starting another, but clean, healthy fruit is our top priority—and every effort goes toward crafting remarkable wines.

We’re also doing night spraying to manage weevils, which are most active after dark. During the day, they hide from the sun under the bark on the vines’ trunks, but at night they climb up to feed. We use a potassium-based spray along with silica to strengthen plant resilience, making the leaves less appealing to weevils. Spraying at night also helps physically knock the weevils off the vines, as they’re higher up and actively feeding.

This week, we’re beginning tucking rounds, lifting wires to shape the vines into a neat hedge structure. This setup helps ensure even sun exposure and clears space for tractors and sprayers to pass without damaging the vines. In some blocks, however, we’re allowing the vines to “sprawl” without tucking, which promotes natural airflow and dappled light for slower, more balanced ripening—especially ideal for Cabernet. It may look a bit wild, but it’s worth it for optimal ripening.

Flowering has begun in nearly all Chenin and Chardonnay blocks, while the reds are about a week behind. Take a moment to spot the tiny yellow stamens emerging from the baby clusters in the vines; each pollinated stamen will turn into a berry. We’re counting these clusters now to get our initial yield estimates—fingers crossed for a fruitful season!

Finally, shoot thinning is nearly complete. We’ve gone through each block to remove non-fruitful or unintended shoots. Keep an eye out for the ideal Simonit & Sirch replacement spur in cane-pruned blocks—it should have two buds, one beneath and one above, ready for next season’s pruning."