Warm and dry conditions prevailed during spring and early summer so that we became concerned the vines might be affected by drought.  Luckily we had a brief torrential downpour in February, which set the dry streams gurgling merrily and replenished the groundwater reserves. The rest of the summer was excellent.  While we had humid conditions in late autumn we had exposed the fruit to the sunlight so it  ripened beautifully and remained perfectly healthy.

Waipara was buffeted by frequent strong winds in late spring and early summer which coincided with the period when the grapes were in flower.  It impaired pollination and thus quite markedly reduced the crop level.  The rest of the summer, however, was excellent and the autumn was warm, dry and lingering.  We were thus able to harvest beautifully ripened grapes in optimum condition.

The 2006 growing season was longer than usual as mild spring weather resulted in early bud-burst; however this was followed by cool nights which prevented excessively rapid growth.  There was good accumulation of summer heat and a long, dry autumn.  Harvest occurred late in April, a little earlier than normal to retain elegance...

The whole growing season was ideal apart from the period when the vines were in flower. This was the coldest and wettest December Waipara has ever experienced and as a result the number of berries setting was extremely low, resulting in the smallest crops we have seen. Because of this the wine has extra concentration and depth.

The spring was cool but the weather was warm. There was a period of cooler weather again in early autumn but the time leading up to the harvest was mild and dry. These conditions lead to a small crop of grapes which has given the wine concentration. In addition it was made completely from the Mendoza clone, which traditionally produces a richer style due to the tendency to hen and chicken or millerandage...

The spring was cool but the weather was warm. There was a period of coller weather again in early autumn but the time leading up to the harvest was mild and dry. These conditions lead to a small crop of grapes which has given the wine concentration. In addition it was made completely from the Mendoza clone, which traditionally produces a richer style due to the tendency to hen and chicken or millerandage...

The pattern of the weather during the growing season was similar to that of the previous year, but even more marked. That is to say, the summer was not overly hot, leading to the development of excellent cool climate chardonnay aromas and flavours, with the retention of good levels of good acid in the grapes...

A warm but not overly hot summer was followed by a perfect autumn. As the leaves turned golden, days of unbroken sunshine ensured perfect ripening of the grapes with the retention of good levels of acidity. Very low crop levels produced a wine with splendid concentration...

Spring was mild and encouraged early budburst and development of the new growth on the vines. The weather became cooler over flowering in early summer, resulting in a relatively small crop of grapes setting. The rest of the season was warm but not excessively hot and there was a long Indian summer. The fruit ripened beautifully with intense flavours and concentration while the natural acidity was retained...

Warm weather in early spring resulted in leaves on the vines bursting earlier than usual, which ultimately lead to a longer growing and ripening season, which had an important influence on the eventual wine. The summer was hot, but the nights cool. Combined with a long, lingering autumn this produced perfect conditions for ripening grapes, while retaining good acidity...