The 2023/2024 growing season kicked off slightly early with a couple of Pinot Gris blocks bursting out at the very end of August. All other varieties followed suit over the next 10 days with a very even budburst.
Cooler than average temperatures supplied us with ‘lovely living & growing’ conditions, though ‘flowering & berry set’ in some varieties could have been better. Late October saw a Black Frost hit the Valley, but we were lucky to escape with damage to only 2.5 hectares out of 200.
Two very welcomed rain events occurred in December topping up the soil profile for the rest of the growing season, and by the time we did finally get a week of hotter temperatures, all our whites had already been harvested with record breaking crops especially in our Pinot Gris and Riesling blocks.
Our red blocks came through these warmer temps with great flavour development.
Overall a very good vintage and as we now get to taste the finished wines, it is another solid vintage in Clare Valley with good quality across the range. The wines show concentration and purity and in the particular case of red wines we see lifted and structured wines.
