After the unrelenting rain of the 2011 vintage, it was with a sense of foreboding that the 2012 vintage started off with yet more rain. October and November were wet with over 120mm in each month and accessing the vineyard with the tractor was difficult because the ground was already sodden from the year prior. November was also marked by warm nights that further pushed up disease pressure. A fight from the outset to save the vintage ensued, and with organics this essentially meant getting into the vineyard by hand and removing leaves and shoots – sacrificing yield for air movement and light penetration. As the pace of work and anxiety became feverish – a benign, warm and dry December unfolded and January was kinder still. Work continued and we had to trim non stop as the vines utilised the amble ground water from the wet spring. Bird pressure was not high so we took our time putting the nets on in case we needed to apply a late spray. February and March were both warm and dry, and flavours accumulated beautifully throughout March. The sugar concentrations never threatened to blow out so it was just a question of waiting for flavours to emerge and calmly going about harvest. There was some late concerns that the berries may begin to shrivel but with the chardonnay this risk never materialised. The comic irony of starting the vintage in apoplectic fear of rain and ending it out of concern for warmth was not lost on us.