2025 Vintage Wrap Up
It’s now been just over a month since we pressed of the last of our Hunter shiraz, and we’ve finally had a chance to sit back and reflect on what we consider to be a pretty special vintage.
After receiving some reasonably significant winter rainfall mid-2024, the vines had ample soil moisture to set them on a good course for budburst late August/early September. A very warm and dry growing season followed right through to the end of the year, but we maintained a good strong canopy by carefully monitoring soil moisture and acting accordingly.
It was clear from the outset that crop levels had returned to better yield this year, which was particularly pleasing after the low yielding vintage in 2024.
We received 100mm of rain throughout January which kept us on our toes, but the first of our Semillon was hand-picked on the 21st January and the last of Braemore picked just 8 days later. Yes, it was fast and furious. The reds followed shortly thereafter, with all our shiraz harvested and in the winery between the 6th and the 20th February.
We are currently pointing our Semillons towards bottle, with the first to go down the line at the end of May. I’m delighted to report that 2025 is probably the best semillon vintage we have seen in a few years. These are beautifully, classically shaped wines, with alcohol levels around the 11% mark, and are perfect examples purity and precision, yet deliciously approachable. I’m very excited about these new vintage Semillons, watch this space…..
Getting full phenological ripeness in the reds was slightly more challenging, but the best of the Shiraz (Sweetwater Ridge and The Dam Block) are looking very good indeed. All our reds will spend the next 14-15 months maturing in barrel prior to bottling next year, and I’m quietly confident that they will shape up nicely.
We will release our 2025 Semillons in September, so save the date and join us at our cellar door to celebrate! If you want a friendly reminder from us, sign up to our mailing list and we will keep you in the loop about upcoming events and releases.