2018 was the warmest vintage I have seen in 25 vintages of winemaking in Otago - it was considerably warmer than average, or even the next-warmest vintage, being 2016. The vines loved it almost as much as the winemakers. Across all regions we produced fully ripe grapes and with healthy crop levels of between 5-6 tonnes per hectare (2-2.4 tonnes per acre), even the bank managers had reason to smile. The vintage characters are so obvious in the wines it gives us the feeling that possibly once in a while we actually know what we are doing. The warmer summer meant lower acids and riper, finer tannins. The wines are much more approachable when young than many previous vintages have been.