The growing season started with warm dry conditions in September. The weather continued dry into October however some useful thundery storms late in the month and in early November gave the vines a push along and provided perfect flowering and fruit set conditions.

It was the warmest December on record, and January, although not the warmest, was certainly the driest, and early picking commenced in some vineyards. A pre-veraison heat wave in mid February followed by cool weather, stressed out many vineyards in the region, but Mountadam escaped relatively unscathed, due to our higher elevation and less extreme temperature fluctuations.

The cool weather continued through February, slowing down ripening. A killer heat wave hit in early March which affected the quality and condition of much of our fruit. All the cabernet parcels for Mountadam ‘The Red’ were rejected as a result.

Some excellent parcels of Chardonnay, Shiraz and Riesling were harvested however, although hand sorting at the winery was essential to eliminate shrivelled berries.