May 2011
Thanks to the stirling efforts of the magnificent vineyard crew we beat the mildew and produced a crop that was terrific quality and a pleasing quantity. Our vineyard manager, Lisa Kimmorley is worth her weight in gold!
October 2010
We have had very good winter rains; in fact, the best since we started the vineyard some 18 years ago. June, July and August saw consistent rains: slow and steady, allowing good infiltration. This was then topped up with 60mm of rain on the first weekend of September. By that stage, the ground was already at “field capacity”, the soil water holding capacity is at its maximum. The ground could hold no more, so all creeks, dams and water courses were flowing. Roads were closed. It has been a long time since we have been bogged – it’s a great feeling.
We have not seen these circumstances before. It could be a year of considerable vigour. We will just remain vigilant. It will be a year of low, possibly no, irrigation.
In part due to the rain and cloudy conditions, September was one of the coolest on record. This has resulted in budburst being several weeks behind that of the last few years; it is almost back to “normal”. Half way through October and some of the vines are yet to burst bud.
The rains have flushed the soils and the vineyard looks and smells very healthy. It is a relief to know that nature has provided such a wonderful start to the season. There is anticipation in the air …
June 2010
We are almost finished Vintage 2010 – just a couple of barrels casually strolling to the finishing line of being fully fermented to dry. What a vintage it was! The new frost system paid for itself several times over and left us wondering why we waited so long. Except for 2004 and 2007, the lower areas of the vineyard usually experienced frost damage. This year, despite several frost events, those areas were able to produce to their full potential. Perhaps the most exciting aspect of this past season has been the changes, visually very evident, in soil health. We can’t say it is all due to our shift to biodynamic/natural farming. The greater impact of that shift is probably still to come. It may simply be the cessation of herbicide use, which began almost five years ago, well before our move to biodynamics. Admittedly no herbicides is one of the key biodynamic practices. This season we saw a flourishing vineyard floor, with multiple species and sub-species of native grasses, clovers and other plants – and, surprisingly, very few weeds. Rather than a hard baked bare soil surface under the vine rows, the areas are now covered with plant life, made possible by ‘living’ soils, full of beneficial microorganisms and critters of all types. You can peel back this vegetative layer and sink your hand in and extract a handful of wonderfully structured, living, rich red volcanic soil that smells of organic matter. Oh, to get that bouquet into our wine – we are working on it.
