Winter provided good average rainfall with approximately 200mm in total falling over June, July and August. Early September welcomed the beginning of budburst, leading to a cool Spring with very little rainfall. Cool weather continued throughout the peak growing months of October, November and December. Spring rainfall was slightly below average but sufficient to ensure the vineyards were in good condition leading into Summer. January was warm, with temperatures exceeding the long-term average, and dry, with almost no rainfall. Veraison commenced mid-January as typical. February was cool providing relief to the vineyards and consolidating veraison across all our varieties. Harvest commenced late February. Warmer weather returned at the beginning of March and conditions remained very dry and moderately warm throughout the harvest period. The viticultural and winemaking teams worked with great tenacity, it was a compact vintage finishing in late March.

The 2019 Kooyong Clonale is a blend of Chardonnay from our Tuerong and Balnarring vineyards. The fruit was gently whole-bunch pressed directly into French oak barriques (of which 7% were new), where fermentation commenced spontaneously with ambient yeasts. Following fermentation, the wine was aged on lees (without battonage) for nine months. The wine was bottled without fining and with minimal filtration.