“The great Peter Lehmann proclaimed the Barossa Valley to be a winemaker’s paradise. A place nature had gifted with the prerequisites to make exceptional wine. I respect the man and his legacy, embrace the sentiment, and witness year in year out the ability of this remarkable wine place to grow outstanding quality fruit and produce award winning wines. 2024 is a case in point – marking the continuance of a long run of strong red wine vintages for Australia’s most famous wine region.
The catalyst for a great vintage is found in the months immediately following the preceding harvest. When the soils are most in need of moisture replenishment following the long dry summer to aid restoration of carbohydrate levels in the vines ahead of the winter dormancy. The 2023 harvest was completed in late April and was followed by well above average rainfall in May and June. These rains provided a much-needed boost for subsoil moisture levels ahead of a drier than usual Winter and Spring. Those late autumn rains consequently became the critical moisture source for the vines to access during budburst in September and throughout the early stages of the 2023/2024 growing season.
Significant rainfall events in November and December combined with mild Summer conditions replenished subsurface soil moisture levels enabling the vines to produce healthy canopies prior to veraison in late January. With limited rainfall in January and no rain recorded in February, disease pressures in the vineyard were minimalised. An unusually cool February slowed colour development in the red fruit, and a late burst of heat in mid-March allowed the bunches to achieve consistent flavour ripeness and tannin development. These almost ideal conditions produced fresh, rich, ripe and concentrated fruit characters at harvest. Of note, the Barossa Valley has experienced just 4 days in excess of 40 degrees Celsius in the last 4 years – a remarkable period of moderate temperature conditions.
We expect to complete the 2024 harvest early in the week following Easter. Yields are generally below long term averages, but quality is exceptional with Shiraz being the stand out variety.
We harvest each of our vineyard blocks in small batches which are kept separate through fermentation. Each of the 2024 ferments are showcasing an abundance of colour and ripe tannin. Managing the ferments at lower temperatures has allowed floral aromatics notes to be retained, and the wines are showing great energy and vitality. After our success utilising indigenous yeasts naturally present in our vineyards to complete fermentation in select small batches in 2023, we’ve extended that trial to encompass our entire winemaking program for 2024. Along with continuing work in our vineyards, this very natural approach to managing fermentation forms the cornerstone of our ambitious agenda to produce world class Barossa Valley wine.
