The season started with the last of the El Niño influence producing unseasonably warm weather in June at the start of winter but then it cooled back down to normal winter temperatures in July although it was very dry. We recorded the second lowest rainfall for July since records were kept. The cool conditions prevailed into spring although rainfall returned to more average levels. The chilly weather delayed budburst by up to 3 weeks. The combined rainfall across October and November was the highest ever recorded for the period. The cool weather conditions continued into December but with minimal rain from Christmas until the end of March. The long ripening period has led to complexity of flavours and has produced an elegant style of wine from this vintage.

In The Clare Valley - This year the region celebrates the 21st birthday of the screw cap closure, an innovation pioneered by the region. The season began with a dry, cool autumn which led into good winter rains and above average spring rainfall. The timing of this rain led to decent soil moisture during the growing season even though the annual rainfall was down on average. The cool, wet spring delayed budburst slightly and, combined with a cool summer, led to one of the latest starts to the vintage in more than a decade. A couple of below zero nights in mid-October caused some isolated frost damage and wet conditions through flowering in November led to some minor fruit set issues. But overall, the region escaped the wrath of Mother Nature. Cool, dry weather through summer and early autumn provided favourable ripening conditions, producing fruit with good natural acid levels and full varietal flavour. Overall, the 2022 vintage has delivered consistently high quality across both red and white varieties, along with welcome strong yields. The Rieslings are exceptional, and red varieties are showing a combination of quality and yield not seen for several years, with both Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon looking their stunning best. In Wrattonbully - Coming out of winter, the season for vintage 2022 was looking fantastic with reasonable winter rainfall and near full soil moisture profiles. Moderate rainfall continued throughout early spring. The mild and dry conditions throughout late spring put the vine growth stages slightly behind average, with the majority of the flowering occurring from late November to early December. The mild and dry conditions carried on throughout summer, allowing the vines to develop in near perfect conditions. There was a distinct lack of weather extremes with no wet cold spells or heat waves for the vines to contend with. The conditions continued on into February, March and April which allowed for a slow and very even ripening of the fruit, with flavours and tannins developing well across all varieties. It is one of those years that it is hard to pick out a standout variety as all varieties both reds and whites performed exceptionally well.

In The Clare Valley - The season for vintage 2021 commenced with good late-winter and early-spring rains. Dry conditions prevailed from November onwards, with rainfall well below average for the remainder of the growing season. Weather conditions from mid to late November were ideal for flowering and fruit set. The latter half of the season was ideal for fruit development with some of the best conditions seen in the last 10 years, although Riesling bunch and berry sizes were down on average which reduced yields for this variety. Overall our winemakers report the ideal conditions have produced stunning wines from this vintage with great varietal characteristics. In Wrattonbully - The season started well with reasonable winter rainfall and then moderate rainfall continued throughout early spring, allowing for healthy canopy growth. The mild and dry conditions throughout late spring were conducive to excellent flowering and fruit set across all varieties. The mild and dry conditions carried on throughout summer. There was a distinct lack of weather extremes for the vines to contend with. These conditions continued into autumn, allowing for slow, even ripening of the fruit. Winemakers report that this vintage will go down as one of the best in the last 20 years.

The season started with challenging weather events that included spring frosts at budburst and then hot and windy conditions during flowering. Although these don’t affect quality, they do negatively impact yields. At the end of the year and into the New Year bushfires blazed across Australia, having a devastating impact on people, wildlife, bushland and many wineries. In the Clare Valley, we were lucky and escaped the threat of fire but January delivered some wild weather. One minute we were experiencing searing heat and the next, heavy rain and chilly, gusty wind! February saw weather conditions return to normal and a nice fall of rain at the start of the month invigorated the vines prior to harvest commencing. As we headed into March, the weather remained relatively mild - ideal for ripening and harvest progressed smoothly and steadily. Meanwhile, the impact of the global Coronavirus pandemic resulted in social distancing policies and higher than normal hygiene measures during the controlled commotion of vintage. While it was a very tough year for growers, the quality of the fruit was high, which is heartening. Our winemaking team report that the wines from this vintage have wonderful colour, powerful concentration and varietal intensity.

The growing season leading up to vintage 2019 saw lower than average winter and spring rainfall. This, along with some hail and frost events, affected yields overall. There were some extreme weather conditions during the growing season, including the lowest temperature recorded in spring and the highest ever temperature in summer, but generally, the vines showed great resilience. Whites have retained good acidity while the reds were sun-blessed and are showing great colour and due to the smaller bunch numbers, varietal intensity. Riesling has been the star performer in terms of yield, with crops coming in only minimally down on expectations, demonstrating what an incredibly resilient variety it is under adverse conditions. Harvest commenced in February and the low yields resulted in quite a brief harvest period. Whilst yields are down, wine quality is strong with intense flavours and colours across the classic Clare Valley varieties.

Overall, our winemaking team are very excited about the quality of the wines from this vintage! In terms of the white varieties, these wines are highly aromatic with very pure and distinct varietal characters. When it comes to the reds, the general consensus is that it’s looking like one of the best red vintages in quite a while with fantastic colour, flavour development and tannin structures.

With the growing season characterised by higher than average rainfall this vintage, Mother Nature has blessed us with good, healthy yields. The fruit into the cellars was of a very high standard and the resultant wines are exhibiting wonderful colours and lifted varietal aromas. The palate structure of the wines from this vintage lean more toward delicacy in comparison with those from a warmer vintage the prior year - being fuller and more robust. This bodes well for those wines from 2017 that are destined for long term cellaring. With the post vintage assessments of both the white and red wines from 2017 now completed, the winemakers have reported exciting results across the portfolio of wines.

In the growing season leading up to vintage 2016, Mother Nature saw fit to dole out just the right amount of rainfall at just the right time for maximum positive impact on the vine’s health and importantly, the quality of the fruit produced. In fact, this was just one of the factors at play when it comes to vintage 2016 being lauded as one of the great vintages. Of the whites, both the Chardonnay and Riesling varieties look particularly outstanding. Of the reds, the standout was Cabernet Sauvignon, which benefited from the excellent ripening conditions and reports of extraordinary fruit flavour concentration in this variety.

In the lead up to vintage 2015, the first two months of winter saw slightly higher than average amounts of rainfall and temperatures in line with the long term averages. August then had very little rainfall and it ended up being the driest ever August recorded at the estate. The winemakers reported that the Chardonnay and Riesling look particularly stunning. Of the reds, the reports were good overall but the standout was Shiraz.

The growing season in the lead up to vintage 2014 saw average autumn and winter rainfalls on the Taylor family Clare Valley estate vineyards; only 4% above the long term averages. From the outset, it was a vintage where environmental factors played less of a role in determining when fruit was to be picked which is always the winemakers’ preference. Once the fruit started coming into the winery, early indications in terms of natural acidity and flavour profiles in the whites and colour and tannin analysis in the reds were positive indeed. All in all, the winery team are pleased with the results of their efforts and releasing another collection of fine wines for everyone to enjoy.

The growing season in the lead up to vintage saw below average autumn and winter rainfalls on the Taylor family Clare Valley estate vineyards. In fact, over the entire season from September 2012 to April 2013 the rainfall was the lowest on record at the Estate since 1973 at only 138mm. The dry and somewhat difficult conditions, resulted in lower yields from the season mean that the wines produced are quite full-bodied. Overall, after the great years of 2009, 2010 & 2012, the 2013 vintage will deliver very rich, concentrated wines which will be true to the Taylors style of early approach-ability and generous enjoyment.

The 2012 vintage at the Taylor family estate in the Clare Valley was truly a special one as it was our 40th! Vintage officially commenced on the 25th January with the harvesting of Pinot Noir for sparkling wine base. The next week, we picked some Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Riesling and Chardonnay. By the end of February, we had harvested all the white varieties from the estate. The fruit looked excellent; clean and fresh with good varietal expression. With the last of the fruit picked just after Easter, the harvest officially ended with many excited reports from both vineyard and winemaking about the quality of the fruit from this year.

Vintage 2011 will surely go down in the history books as one to remember! With rain being the main issue (and the associated diseases that occur in those humid conditions) and the corresponding protracted ripening period, this was certainly a vintage that separated the pack. However, despite any pessimism surrounding this vintage, we are very happy with the overall quality of our wines. Of our white wines, both the Riesling and Pinot Gris look particularly outstanding, whilst out of the red varieties, the Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon look particularly promising.

The growing season leading up to vintage commenced with above average rainfall which filled profiles in the soil to saturation points not seen in the past three seasons. During flowering in November an unprecedented heat wave occurred with the Clare Valley experiencing 13 consecutive days above 30°C. This heat-wave coincided with the peak of vine flowering, which resulted in reduced yields across almost all varieties at harvest. The stand-out wines from this vintage are Riesling and Shiraz which is expressive of the region.