Following what seems to be a slightly warmer and drier winter than normal, the vines have responded by coming out of dormancy a little earlier with some of the shoots on the Chardonnay already 10–20 cm long. Our dams are full, ready to start irrigating the vines to keep them healthy and strong to produce the best quality fruit possible.
At the moment we are busy in the vineyard, mulching the pruning wood in the mid rows, replacing broken posts and dropping foliage wires in preparation for the vine growth which will occur in the next few months. Some would say that this time of year is the “vintage” of the vineyard, in that it is the busiest time of year with all hands on deck. In the winery we are busy with bottling preparations; the filtering the 2019 whites and the 2018 reds, which were blended in the last month.
I am particularly excited about the new (2018) Specialist Cabernet, which won’t be released for a few years yet but will be one to look out for. Also worthy of a mention is the 2019 Four Chambers Pinot Noir Rosé, which was bottled last month. We believe this wine is looking as good as the 2018 which picked up a Gold medal at the 2018 Margaret River Wine Show.
Paul Dixon, Winemaker