The 2025 vintage at K1 was marked by a dry and warm growing season, which came as a bit of a shock after three years of more moderate temperatures and their quite wet spring/early summers.
Our first pick, the Pinot and Chardonnay for the K1 Sparkling on the 10th of February was 9 days earlier than average, this earliness carried all the way thru vintage as conditions stayed dry and warm with no rain events to slow the ripening. The only exception being the Riesling grapes for our Autumn Harvest which took longer to get sufficient botrytis for this luscious style, these were picked on the 8th of May
All varieties have been harvested in pristine condition with the whites early to develop full varietal character. Our Chardonnay is showing remarkable promise this year, with our winemaker Shane Harris already excited about the potential for the Reserve Chardonnay. The sparkling base wine, too, has been a highlight, with the fruit looking fantastic in the winery - bright, fresh, and full of energy.
Given the stable weather conditions the red varieties were able to enjoy a longer hang time which has produced deep complexity and richness and set the stage for a particularly promising red vintage too.
In terms of yield 2025 is back to normal compared to the low yields of the last 2 years and the overall quality of our K1 vintage is shaping up to be one of the most exciting in recent years, with both white and red wines showing great promise.