Here in Marlborough, the vines are yellowing and the leaves are starting to fall. It’s a serene time of the year for winegrowers, after the turbulent harvest period now behind us and the 2016 vintage wines fermenting away in the winery.

It was quite a season, one not forgotten in a hurry…. We faced record-breaking dry conditions, thanks to one of the strongest El Nino events in recent history. February measured the second warmest February on record, and this, coupled with a serious lack of rainfall through summer, and unusually warm nights, caused a bit of vine stress and Powdery Mildew pressure in some areas. Crops levels were above average so we were busy earlier in the season too; bunch thinning to restrict yields to desired crop levels.

We’re expecting 2016 vintage wines to have great physiological ripeness and will quite possibly have lower acids due to the warm summer nights.

Look out for our first 2016 releases in July/August.