The team constantly has trials taking place in the vineyard and winery, with many taking several years to give us enough data to make informed decisions on their outcomes. These trials are vital to our ongoing understanding of our vineyards' capabilities, climate change, clonal mix and future plantings. The information we learn will help us safeguard our future.
The use and understanding of different clones has been a key driver of wine quality for us. For example, we have nine different Chardonnay clones planted, each of which offers subtle characters to the wine. We are currently researching and trialling some superior Merlot clones and are particularly excited by their potential of Q45 and Clone 181, both of which hold great promise for improvements in purity of flavour and overall wine quality.
We have planted the first Cabernet Sauvignon cuttings, cloned from the best performing vines in our superior Old Block. Over three years, we extensively tested each vine to find a few to be used as 'mother vines' for future vineyard growth. It makes sense to clone the old generation because these vines have already proven to marry with our current climatic conditions and soils. (download MAGNUM article)
We are now harvesting our grapes 3-4 weeks earlier than 15 years ago. Our trials help fast track our learning around changing climatic conditions to find ways to manage evolving seasonal conditions. One trial that was started in 2015 was to erect shade sails as sun and wind protection on Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon to see the effects on ripening and fruit quality.
