Vineyard update - fruit set

Spring in the Clare Valley always brings a sense of promise, but this year the vineyards are looking especially good. Budburst was even, the canopies have filled out nicely, and flowering has come and gone without too much fuss. In the bunches you can already see the caps shed cleanly and the first tiny berries forming — that early, peppercorn-sized fruit set that tells us how the season is shaping up.

The weather through flowering was warm and settled, which is exactly what we hope for. It’s given us good fruit set across the blocks. Bunch architecture looks open and healthy, and the shoots are carrying just the right amount of leaf to give the developing berries dappled light without pushing too much vigour.

It’s still early days, but the signs are promising: A healthy canopy, clean flowering, and reliable fruit set are exactly what we hope for at this stage of the season. If this continues, we should see steady berry growth as we head into summer and the foundations for a really strong vintage.