In 2019 the rainfall increased back to long-term averages: 530 mm in the winter and 900mm total rainfall. This welcome rain fell throughout winter and well into spring. Better cold units allowed complete dormancy to the vines giving much-needed respite for the vines to sleep—a cooler spring resulting in a delayed bud break for the earlier budding Chardonnay. Cooler temperatures and gusty wind meant flowering was more irregular than average. Wind surges damaged some of the young shoots and the first flowers as well.
Cooler November temperatures affected the ability of the vines to pollinate correctly, resulting in "hen and chickens" or millerandage in which fewer berries appear on the eventual bunches.
As New Year came and went, summer was also colder than average and maximums during the hottest months never got more than 34oC. The cooler weather did help the vines accumulate flavour more gradually. As harvest approached, whilst there were some pleasant sunny days in February, nights started to cool early in March. We started picking Chardonnay in the last week of February about a week after the warmer weather had subsided. The crop size was smaller due to the flowering and cool and windy conditions, however, this cooler weather brought about higher malic acids that will give more bite and freshness to the wines as well as allowing synchronous ripening of sugar and secondary metabolites.
