Vintage 2026 - A TRULY GREAT VINTAGE BRINGS BACK MEMORIES OF VINTAGES PAST
Ancient Shiraz, Dry Conditions, Hot Days, Cool Nights, and just a little rain at the perfect time!
Vintage 2026 IN REVIEW
KEY WEATHER EVENTs
Dry. Warm to Hot Days. Cool Nights. And did I say Hot! Lets say periods of extreme heat. In 2025 the Barossa Valley received a mere 331mm of rain, not enough, and the third year in a row where we have received under 350mm, 2024 was drier, but 3 years of drought is tough. In the first 5 months of the year we received 35mm of rain. Average winter rain helped, and with a later start than normal we entered 2026 hopeful of a great vintage. January was stifling hot, 7 days above 40, but nights remained cool. And just when we thought the heat was getting to much for our poor vines, we had some rain, the first two weekends in March we had 24 and 14mm of rain respectively. Other parts of the Barossa had more.
The rain could not have come at a better time, bunches filled out (they were looking very sparse), berries put on some weight, and baumes dropped. This allowed the grapes to obtain physiological ripeness with sugar ripeness. Rare in these parts, but the result, grapes at moderate baumes with perfect ripeness. You could take your time, and we did. The result? Some of the best grapes we have every seen.
They stars? Shiraz, Grenache, and too early to judge the Cabernet and Mataro at time of righting. But this will undoubtedly be one of the very best vintages for us.
WINERY Workers
Crops were generally down, but we took in some extra blocks for a project I have on the go with Adrian Hoffmann. So a relatively large vintage, second to 2023 in volume. But once again, our vintage team were excellent. Andrew and I now have completed 13 vintages together. Our vintage crew was undoubtedly the best we have had as the experience of the team continues to grow. with returning team members Tim, Wayne and John proving once again experience plays a massive part. Kieran completed his second vintage, and is clearly a natural. There contributions make an enormous difference and are greatly appreciated by all.
So WHERE DOES VINTAGE 2026 SIT in a string of great years?
We have been fortunate with the recent run of vintages, with outstanding vintages the majority of the last 6 years since the challenging 2020. Where does 2026 sit? At the top I expect! Not surprisingly, at this stage yields look similar to the 2025 vintage which was close to average over the past 10 years. The Estate vineyard suffered perhaps the most, along with Grenache, were yields were well down. Other blocks faired much better. So there will be shortfalls, but the wines currently in barrel will be some of our best ever Shiraz no doubt. 2025 and 2026 are undoubtedly going to challenge each other for many years to come.
As for longer term reference points? 1996 is the closest reference. In fact almost identical weather patterns. 1996 followed a drought year in 1995, and was hot in January, then rained in March. 1996 is one of my very favourite vintages, and I am excited what 2026 might bring in the years to come.
A LOOK BACK
There are many publications that provide vintage ratings. Examples include the Wine Companion and Robert Parker, and Nicki Robins puts together a great summary for Barossa Wine but there are numerous available on the internet should you seek them out. These ratings are by nature general and typically broad but are in my experience directionally correct albeit conservative (we often do not see 10s or ratings below 6). Individual wineries will of course vary with their assessments due to localised events (such as hail or frost) or external impacts (such as the new winery mentioned above). General vintage comments are just that, general, you should be open to trying wines, and make your own mind up. Vineyards and the resulting wines can often surprise and exceed expectations of the vintage.
Below I have a provided a broad assessment, and I expect everyone to have different opinions but this is my assessment based on our wines in barrel and bottle. These will be reviewed annually, but are accurate for our wines as at today.
2014
Our Rating 7/10 (Halliday 7/10) - Our first vintage. We made a small volume of shiraz, shiraz cabernet and cabernet. 2014 was a challenging frost year in many of the northern vineyards which impacted yield. The resulting wines have aged very slowly. Surprisingly so. They are wines that probably have exceeded vintage expectations for me and the conditions in which we made them. If you can find some, grab them.
2015
Our Rating 8/10 (Halliday 9/10) Is typically seen as a very good vintage, and for me it is a classic Barossa style year. Our wines have aged beautifully and for me, they are drinking wonderfully in 2025. Perhaps not as long lived as the 2014s, but I think they are there peak now and are just wonderful. Shiraz truly stared for us. Try one and appreciate how good Barossa Shiraz can be with a little age under their belt.
2016
Our Rating 8/10 (Halliday 8/10) Was a warm dry year that has produced robust fruit rich wines. The pinery fires in late November 2025 has had an impact on some of the western fruit based wines, but the impact on our wines has been mild and in many cases not of consequence. A vintage that has always shown great promise, and very highly rated at the time but may not reach the heights of 2015 for us.
2017
Our Rating 6/10 (Halliday 7/10) A wet or mildly wet vintage, and a challenge for many. The wines are solid, they have good fruit, but in their youth the fruit has been more earthy then we normally see from our blocks. Might be a surprise with 10 years in the cellar. Grenache performed well. Shiraz to be revisited in a few years. Might be some upside with time.
2018
Our Rating 6/10 (Halliday 9/10) A vintage that is highly lauded in the Barossa circles, but perhaps one where we underperformed by our peers. Our wines are good, but probably not exceptional. I suspect that our last vintage made off site demonstrated why we should take full control onsite in our own winery. A vintage that I am confident would have been better had our winery been in place in time for vintage.
2019
Our Rating 9/10 (Halliday 9/10) - Our first vintage in the new winery, and a wonderful year for us. The wines are classic Barossa, in a very good way. Drought conditions impacted yield and intensity, wines are ripe, but balanced. We love this vintage and see it as one of our very best. A year in which we probably out performed general vintage assessments of Barossa producers. These wines might surprise in the cellar albeit seem a bit like the 2015s and may drink well for the medium rather than long term. Time will tell.
2020
Our Rating 3/10 (Halliday 8/10) - A horror year for Hayes Family Wines. The third year of the drought, and the vines were struggling, stress was clear for everyone to see and for me, it shows in many of our wines. The bunches were few and far between, the berries were tiny (in many cases under 250 kgs per acre), the wines are tannic and tight, and coupled with the impacts of the Kangaroo Island fires, a vintage we would like to forget. We retained a few wines, the rest were discarded. The wines we retained will take a long time to come round, if they come around. Might be a celebratory vintage in 20 years. Might not!
2021
Our Rating 10/10 (Halliday 9/10) Vintage of the century for many. For us, exceptional no doubt. The key was the consistency across blocks and the region. Good crops of very high quality fruit across the board. Certainly the easiest vintage in the winery prior to the 2025. Very few (in fact probably none) low points. Wines have fruit intensity and balance. Might not be as long lived as the vintage that followed, but lovely wines now and in the future. Deserves its reputation.
2022
Our Rating 9/10 (Halliday 9/10) 2022 always had a challenge following the hyperbole around 2021. We had hail go thru the Stone Well and Marananga blocks in late 2021. Our roof suffered damage, but the vines recovered well. For me, the wines are superb, Grenache for us definitely the best to date at this time. Shiraz, perhaps not as consistent as 2021, but the very good blocks are exceptional, perhaps some of my favourites to date. Natural acids were higher than in 2021, and this I believe will contribute to the 22s being very long lived. Exceptional year at least as good as the 2021s in the medium term. Long term, these may reach great heights.
2023
Our Rating 7/10 (Halliday 8/10) A very cool late vintage. Winter rains extended into early November which delayed the start to the growing season and hence vintage continued well into May. Unusually late for us. This meant that grape ripening continued well into the cooler Autumn months, relatively unusual in the Barossa. The wines are certainly less robust then the vintages around it. Vintage reputation I believe will understate the quality of the vintage. Yes the wines are different, the Grenache is spicey, the shiraz very elegant, but I believe that the wines are very good albeit not your typical year. Wines to try and assess for yourself. I personally like them and I expect they will cellar very well.
2024
Our Rating 8/10 - 2024 was tracking a lot like 2021 for most of the journey before a heat spike in March that saw sugar ripeness shoot. These sugars settled but certainly sent the region scurrying for pickers. When to pick was the key decision. Too early and the phenolics weren’t ripe, sugars settled and patience was rewarded. Alcohols are up a bit, but flavours are rich and ripe. A fuller year, but wines have plenty of fruit. Will be interesting to see them evolve over the coming years. But will be a very good year for lovers of Barossa wines.
2025
NR - The 2025 growing season was incredibly dry, certainly the driest in our time, some say 100 years. Conditions were warm, days hot, nights cool. And I suspect that it was this later aspect that made the difference. Frost and the subsequent dry spell certainly impacted a few of our vineyards, Koonunga had no crop, grenache was down by 75% or more on the year before, but our premium Shiraz blocks excelled. Block 15, Marananga, Stone Well, Dallwitz Ancestor, 1919, all had exceptional years. Some of these wines could well be our best to date, time will tell, but potentially a truly great, classic vintage in the making.
2026
NR - The 2026 growing season was like its predecessors very dry. Conditions were warm, days hot, nights cool. Early March rainfall saved the vintage for us in many of our vintages, berries plumped up, bunches gained weight and ripening was set back a few weeks. All our key vineyards were exceptional: Block 15, Marananga, Stone Well, Dallwitz Ancestor, 1919, all had exceptional years. The lower than normal yield in Stone Well perhaps the only disappointment. These wines are going to challenge the best of the best in the years to come. A long with 2025, classic styles will abound. Shiraz is a true star of the vintage.