'The secret to success is to play the hand you were dealt as if it were the hand you wanted.' Naval Ravikant Not a bad approach to life. When dealing with the vagaries of seasonal variation, it's the only approach, and essential in vintages like 2023. To appreciate its success, one must first consider the challenges it presented. Due to a combination of a Negative IOD and La Niña climatic patterns, Barossa's spring rainfall was one of the wettest on record, 131% above the long-term average, resulting in good soil moisture and strong budburst. On the downside, the damp conditions heightened disease risk, which, while not insurmountable, certainly kept growers ever vigilant. Fortunately, fears of excessive summer rain didn't eventuate with the region receiving only 43mm, representing 56% of the average. As far as the mercury was concerned, summer temperatures were a little below average. With no heatwaves, only 32 days above 30°C (just 13 above 35°C) for the entire summer, and plenty of foliage on the vines, ripening was a slow and steady process. The resulting wines are best described as elegant and well-structured with soft fruit flavours complemented by the somewhat spicier, peppery tones reflective of mild growing conditions. A standout vintage for Cabernet Sauvignon and valley floor reds more broadly, unfortunately, this late, cooler vintage also meant that some later-ripening varieties and higher-elevation vineyards struggled to achieve optimal ripeness. To summarise the 2023 range of the Old Vine Garden collection, they are either a beauty, or they didn't make it to bottle! Call it a commitment to excellence or a stubborn refusal to compromise, our Director of Winemaking, Paul Lindner, has again chosen to declassify those wines that failed to meet his exacting standards. Having decided not to bottle a 2023 Pure Eden Shiraz or a Fifth Wave Grenache, we have no doubt you'll enjoy our selected older-vintage substitutes.
