Wine Article

THE 2019 VINTAGE

Each wine in the collection – four this year, sadly the gorgeous Andelmonde was not made in 2019 – is a single site thumbprint of vineyards in Barossa and Eden Valley, each with a distinct and eloquent voice, each crafted in the same manner (fermented wild in open top fermenters, 15-20% new French oak). The 2019 vintage was a small make (nothing in comparison to 2020 of course, more disappointment awaits us there) with yields some 30% down on the 2018 vintage. The Eden was even lower, 50% down. The growing season and harvest were characterised by warm, dry daytime conditions and cold cloudless nights, which led to two major frost events in September and November, topped off by wind and hail towards the end of November (both affected fruit set, which in turn affects yields). The rest of the season running up to harvest was generally warm with low rainfall, saved by a cool Feb that eased the ripening into an early finish in March – one of the earliest on record. The ol’ kick in the teeth was true of Barossa in 2019: great quality, tiny yields.