2025 Vintage
With harvest once again behind, it is always interesting to reflect upon the season that was, looking at the cards that Mother Nature has dealt us and considering how this has influenced the wines for the year.
With good rainfall in November, it seemed that we were once again looking at a wet season, however it did not pan out that way in the long run, and reality was, it was very dry. There was little if any rainfall for the summer months, leading into early Autumn, and there were no ‘down tools’ days in the Winery due to rain. Once we got going, we really didn’t stop and harvest was over in around 8 weeks from start to finish.
Now I love a good competition, so a harvest in record time is right up my alley, but not so much for the teams on the ground, as they worked extremely hard during this period.
Another point to note is how orderly the ripening was this year.
First came the early harvest Whites and Pinot Noir for Sparkling base, followed by the balance of the Whites, leading into the Rose’s and then finishing off with the Reds. This is how it is meant to be, but typically the lineup takes a different course, and things ripen as they please, not how we would like them to.
Yields were also very good, which is a testament to the Vineyard Team and the work we have put in over the past 12 months. As a measure they would be on the higher side of average, but definitely not high enough to compromise quality.
As for the wines, the quality is very good.
The Whites are very expressive in their varietal characteristics and the acids have held up well.
The Reds have excellent colour, good depth of flavour and the tannins are well in balance.
We will see some good harmony in the wines from 2025, and as we progress in winemaking, more will become evident.
Overall, and as we always like to say, this season was slightly better than the last, but definitely not as good as next year.
Cheers to the 2025 wines, and think of us and the kindness Mother Nature dealt us for the year.
Jo Nash - General Manager and Winemaker