A quick 2025 Vintage report
2025 asked us to take a deep breath, wait, and trust the vines—and wow, did they deliver.
After a textbook spring bloom that promised a bumper crop, December and January dialled back the heat. Those cooler spells slowed everything to a crawl, but with the frost fan humming at Papillon we kept the canopy pristine and the fruit safe.
The payoff came in March. We kicked off on the 14 th with Rosé fruit, snuck the Pinot Noir and other aromatics off in tidy little bites, and finally wrapped on 5 April when the last rows of Sauvignon decided they’d had enough. The generous pauses between picks gave us time to scrub gear, stay organised, and even fire up the BBQ for some quality smoko—luxury!
Because the vines had that extra hang time, flavours built beautifully while acids held firm. Disease pressure? Practically non‑existent. Even after a thinning pass in the Pinot Noir, yields were healthier than usual and every load rolled in spotless.
Early favourites are already emerging: the Rosé is all summer berries and crunch, the Riesling is pure electric lime, and the Sauvignon is bursting with those lifted passionfruit and mango notes we chase, wrapped around a racy spine of acid.
Yes, there’s been plenty of talk about over‑supply around Marlborough this season, but disciplined vineyard calls meant we picked every last bunch and filled every tank exactly as planned—no fruit left hanging, no headaches in the yard.
Plenty more to share later this year (there’s a fun project under wraps), so keep an eye out. Can’t wait for you to taste the class of ’25.
