Vintage History

Vintage 2026 proved a dry but rewarding season in Mudgee. After favourable winter and spring conditions, the region experienced its driest summer since 2019, though irrigation helped the vines remain healthy and disease-free. A late-January heatwave accelerated the white harvest, producing an outstanding Chardonnay, while cooler temperatures and timely February rain allowed the reds to ripen slowly and develop excellent flavour. 

Vintage 2025 was a season of extremes despite appearing deceptively normal overall. A severe August frost threatened major crop loss, particularly in the Chardonnay, and the season brought further challenges with storms and harvest-time rain risks. Careful vineyard work and quick picking helped protect the fruit, and while the Chardonnay was not harvested, the Grenache, Cabernet and Shiraz produced strong yields with excellent quality. 

2024 delivered a cool, wet season that kept the vineyard team busy managing disease pressure. A December heatwave helped push the vines into ripening, leading to an early start to vintage and strong Chardonnay and Rosé yields. Hot days and storms later slowed the reds, requiring patience to reach the desired ripeness and quality.

2023 was a very cold and wet year, though it warmed and dried up a bit for harvest which was helpful to fully ripen the grapes. Yields were low due to shoot and bunch thinning, and the quality was exceptional - the best I’ve seen in Mudgee. The Pinot especially enjoyed the cool!

The second consistently cold and wet vintage in Mudgee in a row saw the vines in absolutely excellent health, with no stress, and with plenty of energy to ripen the grapes slowly and steady for optimal fruit. The resulting wines have beautiful and intense fruit flavours and lovely natural acid. 2022 was a superb vintage for whites, and it is fantastic to be able to release them at 2 years of age, giving them plenty of time to settle into bottle and for the true fruit characters to emerge.

A beautifully cool, significantly cooler than Summer 2019 (mean maximum temperatures of 28.35 vs 34.3). February felt autumnal, with cold nights regularly below 10 degrees and crisp mornings. Harvest was slow and steady, with the varieties ripening one by one. Yields were good and the fruit stunning - clean and elegantly flavoured, with refined acids and lovely tannin structure.

All fruit lost due to bushfire smoke taint.

The wines from 2019 are full flavoured thanks to a vintage marked by drought. Our old vines stood up well to the dry conditions thanks to our bore-based irrigation system. This ensured excellent leaf canopy and shading through the fruit ripening part of the season.

2018 was characterized by intensely dry heat spells followed by short, heavy rainfall. With a lot of hard work from our vineyard team, we picked our fruit very early to beat the heat and secured stunning, evenly ripened fruit with clean, restrained acids.

2017 was a great red vintage, and the culmination of a huge amount of hard work understanding how to manage the warmer seasons in the vineyard and winery. The promise of the wines was evident from the start with colour and chemistry (pH, acids etc.), and the flavours and structure followed through.

2016 was one of those vintages where everything falls into place – the weather, the timing, the yields and the flavours all hit the sweet spot. A cool, wet start to the season with a great lift of warmth throughout vintage. A steady ripening period with timely rain produced high quality fruit with great acid and flavour.

2015 was a vintage of real elegance, characterized by a milder-than-average growing season and timely rainfall that kept the vineyards in top health. The slow, steady ripening produced whites with stunning aromatics and reds with beautiful, bright fruit profiles, fine-grained tannins, and excellent line.

2014 was a highly successful, classic Mudgee vintage that delivered across all varieties. A warm summer followed by a beautifully dry, temperate autumn allowed for extended hang-time on the vines. This slow finish yielded wonderfully balanced wines with great flavor depth, fine tannins, and superb chemistry.

2013 was a warm, dry, and fast-paced vintage that produced incredibly generous wines. The consistent summer heat meant the fruit ripened quickly and evenly, keeping the winemaking team on their toes. The reds came out of the fermenters with deep colors, rich fruit profiles, and excellent structural tannins.

2012 was a phenomenal bounce-back year and a true return to grace. Perfect, mild ripening conditions with cool nights allowed the fruit to develop incredible flavor complexity while retaining beautiful, natural acid. The whites were wonderfully expressive, and the reds showed magnificent drive and balance.

2011 was an incredibly wet and challenging vintage right across eastern Australia, requiring immense hard work and vigilance. While it was a tough year for the heavier reds, the cool, damp conditions produced remarkably crisp, low-alcohol whites and lighter, pretty, savory styles for early drinking, as well as powerhouse cellaring reds, particularly in the Cabernet Sauvignons.

2010 was a spectacular, high-quality vintage that benefited from a welcome return of soil moisture during the growing season. A mild, dry autumn allowed for a relaxed, orderly harvest. The wines from this year were beautifully balanced, characterized by intense fruit purity, structural elegance, and great longevity.

2009 was an absolute standout, elite vintage for the region. A beautifully mild summer without any major heat extremes allowed for a steady, rhythmic ripening period. The fruit achieved perfect phenolic ripeness with brilliant natural acidity, creating exceptionally elegant reds and complex, structured whites.

2008 threw a curveball with a significant heatwave during the middle of the harvest period. It became a logistical race against the clock to pick the fruit at optimum balance. Thanks to quick work in the vineyard, the wines maintained surprising vibrancy, offering lush, forward fruit characters.

2007 was a classic dry-grown vintage shaped by the height of the millennium drought. Low water availability naturally kept yields very small, but the quality of the fruit remained incredibly high. The resulting wines were deeply concentrated, showcasing intense flavors, thick skins, and excellent cellaring potential.

2006 was a fast and furious vintage, marked by a warm, dry spring and an early summer that accelerated ripening. Harvest began much earlier than usual to preserve freshness. The wines turned out beautifully rich and forward, packed with vibrant fruit flavors and generous texture.

2005 was a magnificent, textbook vintage where the weather played along perfectly. The season delivered ideal warm days and cool nights, allowing the fruit to hit the sweet spot of optimal flavor and natural acid. The reds emerged with brilliant color and velvety tannins, while the whites were bright and pristine.

2004 was a highly successful, balanced vintage that brought great relief after the heat of the previous year. A warm summer was tempered by timely, refreshing rainfall, leading to an ideal ripening curve. The wines showed fantastic varietal character, excellent chemistry, and superb structure.

2003 was defined by severe drought conditions and extreme summer heat. Yields were heavily reduced across the board, but the fruit that survived was remarkably resilient. The winery saw incredibly rich, robust, and concentrated reds with high sugars and bold, ripe flavor profiles.

2002 was one of the coolest seasons on record for the region, resulting in an incredibly unique vintage. The long, slow, and mild ripening period was an absolute dream for white aromatics, producing exceptional Chardonnays and Semillons. The reds were distinctly medium-bodied, savory, and highly aromatic.

2001 was a return to classic form, delivering a hot, dry, and low-yielding vintage. The vines thrived in the heat, producing small berries with intense skin-to-juice ratios. The reds from this year were dense and powerful, boasting incredible fruit depth and firm tannins built for the long haul.

2000 brought a damp and tricky start to the new millennium, with heavy summer rains throwing down the gauntlet in the vineyard. Careful canopy management and strict fruit selection were paramount. Despite the challenges, the blocks that were picked before the heaviest downpours yielded surprisingly elegant, lighter-styled wines.

1999 was a fascinating and highly rewarding vintage that closed out the decade in style. It was a milder season with a long, slow ripening window that allowed flavors to develop beautifully before sugar levels got too high. The resulting wines were incredibly elegant, showcasing great finesse and natural acid balance.

1998 was a spectacularly hot and dry vintage that yielded fruit of immense power. The heat of the summer brought on an early harvest, producing reds with massive flavor concentration, deep colors, and rich, ripe tannins. It was a blockbuster year for those who love traditional, full-bodied Mudgee styles.

1997 was a cooler, late-ripening vintage that required a patient waiting game. Timely rain mid-season slowed things down, but a dry finish allowed the grapes to get over the line. The wines emerged with lower alcohols, pretty aromatics, and a more elegant, old-world structure.

1996 was a highly successful, textbook season where everything just flowed beautifully. Consistent, warm weather without any major heatwaves led to an orderly harvest. The fruit arrived at the crusher in pristine condition, yielding beautifully expressive whites and rich, well-structured reds.

1995 was a tough, drought-affected year that severely tested the region. The extremely dry conditions naturally restricted yields, resulting in very small berries with highly concentrated flavors. The wines were dense, muscular, and packed with intense tannins that required time and patience to soften.

1994 stands out as an absolute stellar vintage for Mudgee reds. A warm, dry growing season with beautifully cool nights allowed for optimal flavor accumulation and perfect phenolic ripeness. The wines from this year came out of the winery with spectacular color, rich fruit structure, and immense cellaring potential.

1993 was a solid, highly reliable vintage characterized by moderate, steady temperatures. The lack of extreme heat spikes allowed the fruit to ripen evenly and slowly. It was a year that produced beautifully balanced, medium-bodied reds with excellent varietal expression and great longevity.

1992 threw plenty of challenges at the region with a significantly cooler and wetter growing season. Diligent vineyard management was essential to keep the fruit clean. While the reds were lighter in body with a more elegant, savory profile, the cooler conditions produced some wonderfully crisp and aromatic white wines.

1991 was an exceptional, near-perfect follow-up season. Ideal warm and dry weather conditions prevailed right through the harvest, allowing for pristine fruit pickings. The resulting wines showed superb balance, intense fruit concentration, and remarkable natural acidity, cementing it as one of the finest vintages of the era.

1990 was a classic, powerhouse Mudgee vintage that set a benchmark for the decade. After a wet start to the year, the skies cleared to deliver a warm, dry autumn. The prolonged ripening period allowed the reds to develop incredible depth, structure, and those signature robust tannins, making it an absolute legendary year for cellaring.