Vintage 2010 at Maxwell's now in top gear

With fine conditions here in the heart of McLaren Vale wine country, Mark Maxwell and winemaker Alexia Roberts have been hard at work assessing vineyards, co-ordinating picking, and receiving here at the winery a bevy of delicious berries...

So far, so good... Weather conditions here in McLaren Vale have been terrific for the ripening (and harvesting) of top notch fruit - 2010 is shaping up to be a fantastic vintage - excellent quality and near average yields. There's a forecast of rain in the next few days, but hopefully not too much - fingers crossed. Already Alexia and her team have brought in Verdelho, Chardonnay, some Shiraz, and Merlot, and there's plenty more to come - more Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, and some lovely cool climate Chardonnay from the Adelaide Hills. And this week, we've welcomed a new member to the cellar crew for vintage - Adam Savitskas has travelled half way around the world from Duckhorn Vineyards in California's Napa Valley to see how a premium boutique winery in South Australia does it... Maybe we could swap him some McLaren Vale Shiraz for a nice Napa Valley Merlot?