Similar to 2024, the 2025 growing season brought us warmer-than-usual weather, which kicked off an early budburst and sped up the vines' development by a few weeks. Some Chardonnay vines in the warmer pockets of the vineyard even started budding in June — a real surprise!

After the dry, scorching summer of 2023/24, the first proper rain didn't arrive until May.  Autumn stayed mostly dry and rolled right into a dry start to winter. Then August came through with a big downpour — over 300mm of rain — which helped balance things out and filled the dams just in time for the growing season.

Spring was unusually warm, humid, and cloudy. Thanks to the great work by the vineyard crew, the vines stayed in good shape, avoiding any issues with powdery mildew or botrytis. We were especially lucky during the flowering period in November and December, with hardly any rain — perfect timing, since moisture during flowering can cause real problems.

A bit of rain at the end of January and start of February gave the soil a much-needed boost right when the vines were finishing up their growth before harvest. One thing we noticed this year was the lack of Marri tree blossom, which usually means birds move into the vineyards in full force. And they were — especially the silvereyes, which love to snack on ripening grapes. So, most of the vineyard blocks were netted to keep the fruit safe from our little feathered visitors.