2024 Sauvignon Blanc

Our seasons  are significantly influenced by La Nina/El Nino and the IOD (Indian Ocean Dipole).  These are indexes driven by where the warm and cool waters of both Pacific and Indian Oceans lie. In 2023/24 the result was a cool winter and later bud burst than average followed by a cooler and wetter Spring driven largely by the warm waters North off Australia in the Western Pacific. This was followed by a mild summer and warm autumn. Heat Degree Days (HDD) for the season was 1281 close to our average of 1275 and we picked our Sauvignon on 10th March which is 14 days earlier than our average harvest date of 24th March. The late bud burst from the cool wet winter and slow start to the growing season with a very cold October meant a slow start but the warm autumn coupled with very low crops meant early ripening. Mercifully the ripening period was free from heat extremes. Growing season rainfall was 193 mm. This is 82mm less than our long term average of 275 mm influence by a very wet November and December  23 in which we had 146mm of rain. Crop levels were  extremely low at 0.6 kg per vine. Part of this is possibly an ongoing effect of the fires and the fact that so much of our vineyard needed to be retrained. Normally we harvest about 2.5kg per vine. Mercifully we were free of fungal diseases and lovely ripe, high acid fruit was harvested in fine weather. Our old largely dry grown vines do show the benefit, I believe, from deep roots sustaining them rather than more shallow ones subject to downpours and dry spells. The low crops are a blessing in one way in that they ripen fully and in late seasons that is most important as we head into late April with cold, wet weather likely.