Reflections on Vintage 2024

2024, influenced by the El Nino weather pattern is the wamest of the previous 5 vintages for South Australia. Good winter rains followed by an early budburst in September promised an abundant and high quality vintage for Malbec. However proving that Malbec is a fickle creature, winds during flowering (especially in the maritime regions that Malbec loves) bought about an almost 40% reduction in yield. Sadly this meant that a vineyard in Parawa that I particularly love (and the vineyard of the 2021 Best Lot) did not bear any fruit.

Consequently the 2024 crop was high quality, just in small quantities. 

Harvest was 2-3 weeks earlier than the 2023 vintage.

Being a warmer temperate vintage has meant very intense fruit flavours with excellent balancing acidity and quite fine, lithe tannin. 

The Best Lots of Malbec this year were sourced from two Langhorne Creek vineyards. One lot from a very particular clonal selection of Malbec, the other from a new vineyard. 

Once the wine have settled into oak, I shall update you on how they are evolving!