2021 - A Unique Year

What a start to the Year

2021 started under the cloud of COVID and our failing relationship with China, but we remained optimistic for the year ahead. For us, it all started extra-ordinarily well. The weather was close to if not perfect, Adelaide remained clear of COVID and we were able to harvest perhaps the best vintage in 30 years, probably longer. 2021 produced truly wonderful grapes with average yields (best since 2017), growers were happy, winemakers were happy.

Cellar doors across the valley were busy, and the Barossa was bustling with enthusiasm. It seems that our optimism was justified but there were clouds (literally) on the horizon and the joys of 2021 were short lived.

COVID Returns

But then COVID came back and came back hard. First Melbourne (albeit the issues have been ongoing), then Sydney - people at home, restaurants shut, but thankfully online purchases boomed. We chose to maintain our cellar door through this challenging time but visitor numbers were well down with borders closed and travel uncertainty growing.

Somewhere for us to call home

In July we finally purchased a house, at 27 Julius Street Tanunda. You can find out more here, but this will be my vintage house, but also a house for guests visiting the Barossa Valley. Located 150m from the main street in Tanunda, 3 large bedrooms, a perfect place to settle in for a few days.

Weather Gods turn against us

2021 had been relatively mild weather wise for much of the year continuing the great weather of the backend of 2020, a major factor in the wonderful fruit we harvested back in March and April. But it would seem that two great vintages in a row was not to be. First, our Northern Vineyards were hit with frost in September and again in early October, some blocks badly impacted, then in late October a once in 20 year hail storm swept the central valley from Seppeltsfield, through Marananga, Stone Well, Tanunda and up into Eden Valley. Losses varied, we look to be down close to 50%, but others were worse hit. The saving grace was that the Northern blocks were not hit, so we are still optimistic on quality for 2022, though yields will be down.

Time for Change

With the first of the 2021 reds being bottled and safely sitting in the shed it is time to look forward and review what we are doing and improve what we offer. The new wines in bottle, and those that resting in barrel are spectacular. We are particularly excited about a few new releases, from new vineyards, our timing in securing these sites was impeccable. But more about those later.

We have once again achieved Organic Certification for our Estate vineyard and Winery. We were also successful in obtaining Sustainability Certification for both the Vineyard and Winery. We continue to focus on improving what we do on our site, and the impact we have for our and future generations benefit.

And 2022

Our Cellar Door and Experience offering has now been in place for close to 4 years and we believe it is time to improve what we offer. Not major changes, but improvement none the less. We will be closing cellar door for a few months whilst we update this offering. We hope to be ready to welcome visitors on mass in March. In the meantime, we will open via appointment, so just let us know if you are planning a visit and we will do our best.

After the year we have had, that we have all had, we are looking forward to a return to a ‘normal’ year in 2022! We have the right to be optimistic. The wines in the cellar look spectacular, quantities are good, and 2022 looks promising at least in quality terms if not quantity.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a truly wonderful 2022.

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