THE CELLAR BOOK · TOOBORAC
Every season
leaves a mark.
Each vintage can be very different, resulting in dramatically varied growing seasons — and wines with their own character. These are our field notes from the years that shaped McIvor Estate.2001—2023
VINTAGE CONDITIONS
Rain, heat, patience
and the decision to pick.
VINTAGE2023
01The 2023 vintage in Tooborac unfolded under the influence of La Niña, bringing a cooler, wetter growing season and a long, gentle ripening period. Generous moisture through spring and summer drove vibrant canopy growth, and the extended hang time allowed the fruit to develop slowly and evenly, retaining bright natural acidity while sugars settled into beautiful balance.
2023 also marked a new chapter for the estate, as owners Simon and Eunji welcomed their very first vintage.
The results speak for themselves: remarkably fresh, light and lifted reds that capture the elegance of the cool season, and a Vermentino that many of our customers have told us is the finest they've tasted.
VINTAGE2016
02A difficult year. Severe drought and a very hot summer seriously impacted both volume and quality. While volumes were well down, there were some good parcels of fruit from which the wines showed well at an early stage, particularly the Sangiovese and Nebbiolo.
VINTAGE2015
03A classic year with good growing conditions throughout and the fruit picked in line with more recent vintages. This vintage saw our first straight Vermentino and rosé. All the wines are now in bottle and show a consistency of quality across the range.
VINTAGE2014
04This vintage was a little later than some of the vintages before or since, with the Shiraz picked in late April. Managing the Shiraz over three picks enabled the development of more complex flavours. The other reds also showed well, particularly the Italian varieties, Sangiovese and Nebbiolo.
VINTAGE2013
05The best vintage for a number of years, with good rain during the growing season and a dry autumn resulting in no disease pressure at harvest. The Marsanne blend was particularly good and very age-worthy. The reds showed great consistency across the range, with the standout being Giannisceddu, a blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet.
VINTAGE2012
06Despite high rainfall in February threatening the crops with disease, the warmer weather that followed worked in our favour, limiting problems and creating perfect ripening conditions. The result was good crop levels and superior fruit quality, with particularly good Cabernet, Sangiovese and Nebbiolo.
VINTAGE2011
07The end of 2010 and the start of 2011 saw a La Niña weather event that produced massive amounts of rain during the growing season. Disease pressure was high, so we produced no wines released under the McIvor Estate label.
VINTAGE2010
08A classic year with very good quality wines produced. Good spring rain and milder summer temperatures meant flavour and tannin development was strong in the reds. The Italian varieties were bigger, richer styles, while our Marsanne blend had excellent depth. Harvest began in March and finished in mid-April.
VINTAGE2009
09A warmer year with an early start to vintage. The warm summer produced wines that were bigger and richer, particularly the Shiraz, which showed full flavour and great balance. Harvest began in mid-March and was completed by early April — a short, compact vintage.
VINTAGE2008
10Vintage finished weeks ahead of normal given the warm start to the year. All the grapes were picked over a fortnight and the Shiraz looked like some of the best fruit we had picked. The maturing vines produced fruit with better definition and depth of flavour.
VINTAGE2007
11A year to forget. Severe drought, a hot summer and then rain only days before vintage seriously impacted both volume and quality. Only a limited number of wines were released under the McIvor Estate label.
VINTAGE2006
12A warm start to the year meant an earlier vintage. Volumes were down but the wines continued to be of good quality. The vines were well established and the fruit flavours became more complex, with especially good Shiraz and Sangiovese.
VINTAGE2005
13A great year with near-perfect ripening conditions and wines showing ripe flavours. We picked in late April and early May, harvesting the fruit at optimal ripeness. The Shiraz was a cracker and the Merlot Cabernet blend was also a very good wine.
VINTAGE2004
14Pretty uneventful from a climatic perspective, with a prolonged growing season. Picking times were reminiscent of 2002, with the Sangiovese and Nebbiolo picked at the end of May. All the wines were of very good quality, with the Cabernet Merlot and Sangiovese showing extremely well.
VINTAGE2003
15A severe drought year. The winter of 2002 produced no runoff for the dam and the vines were left to fend for themselves, seriously impacting yields. Despite this, the wines equalled previous vintages in depth and quality. All varieties showed richness, with the Merlot and Shiraz especially strong.
VINTAGE2002
16A long, cool growing season began with a cool and windy flowering period, resulting in poor fruit set and reduced yields. We picked in early May, much later than in 2001. This produced rich flavours in all the wines, with the Shiraz and Sangiovese outstanding.
VINTAGE2001
17Generally good conditions for our first vintage of reds. We picked in late April following some rain. The question was whether to pick or leave the fruit on the vines for longer and risk the possibility of disease.
THE STORY CONTINUES IN THE GLASS
Taste the years
still in our cellar.
