There's a particular quiet that settles over the winery once the last bin comes in. That's where we are now - the noise of vintage behind us, the wines doing their slow work in tank and barrel, anda moment to stand back and take it all in.
This one mattered. It's the first vintage under our new family ownership, the first chapter of the next fifty years. And while plenty has changed around the place, the hands on the wines haven't.Nathan's been our winemaker for eight years now. He knows these vines, these rows, these blocks - what they ask for, what they give back, and when to step in and when to leave them be.
The vineyard came to the party.
After fifty years in the ground, our Wilyabrup vines know what they're doing and 2026 was a year when that experience showed. Cabernet, Chardonnay, Verdelho and Sauvignon Blanc all camein clean, balanced and at the kind of yields you quietly hope for: not record-breaking, but honest. Average across the board, with the quality sitting a notch above.
Almost no rain through ripening.
The kind of run a winemaker dreams about. Long, dry, settled days through the back end of the season meant the fruit ripened on its own terms - flavours building gently, acidity holding its line,and very little of the stress that a wet finish can bring. The wines coming out of this season have a real composure to them, and a lot of that traces back to those quiet, sun-drenched weeks inMarch.
A short window between whites and reds.
One of the more interesting wrinkles of the season. Whites and reds usually give us a bit of breathing room between them - this year, they came knocking almost together. It made for a tight,intense few weeks where the team didn't get a lot of sleep, but it also meant every parcel came in close to its peak. Sometimes the vineyard tells you when it's ready, and you just listen.
Minimal breakdowns.
The unsung win of any vintage. The team prepped well, the gear held up, and we kept moving when it counted. Quiet, in a winery, is a very good sound.
What it all adds up to.
A clean, considered vintage from a vineyard that's never made it about itself. Wines with quiet structure, real fruit, and the unmistakable thread of Wilyabrup running through them.
We'll pour the first of them at the cellar door later this year. Until then, the wines are resting.