Vintage Reports

Vintage 2009

Average winter rains lead to good bud break and good early season growth. The drought returned in spring with below average rainfall in September, October and November, but with access to recycled water for irrigation the dry period was not a worry and good healthy growth continued through December and early January. Flowering occurred in the first two weeks of November which were warm and dry so fruit set was very good requiring shoot and fruit thinning to most blocks.

An overwhelming heat wave struck between 28-30 January and extreme temperatures returned on 7 February with maximum temperatures of around 42ºC. Fortunately, with plenty of irrigation water available we immediately implemented a full program of irrigation. The effect of the heat on the fruit was significant with many bunches completely burnt on the west side of the rows and berries desiccated on the east side. The net effect determined after harvest was a 30% loss on forecasts. The effects on flavour were at this stage unknown.

Vintage started on 19 February with rigorous hand selection in the vineyard to ensure that only the best, sound fruit was delivered to the winery. Harvest was completed on 8 April 2009. A combination of a cooler than average growing season and adequate water supply meant that the fruit was not affected as feared. Early reports from the winery show some blocks delivering wine of surprising quality.

Vintage 2008

Average winter rain in 2007 gave way to a dryer than normal spring but as the growing season got underway we achieved above average rainfall in November and December. This, coupled with warm temperatures saw ideal growing conditions for the vines with shoot growth being more vigorous than normal. January and February saw above average temperatures with a return to the dry conditions that have prevailed for so many years. Fine weather at flowering led to a good set, requiring shoot and fruit thinning in many blocks. Vintage at Yabby Lake Vineyard started on 25 February and most fruit was picked in excellent condition with high levels of natural acidity. A week of extremely hot temperatures late in vintage saw any remaining fruit ripen too quickly with many vineyards experiencing berry shrivel and weight loss; fortunately we missed most of this. We completed the harvest on 26 March 2008.

Early flavour assessment at the winery suggests that this could be an exceptional year for chardonnay and pinot noir.

Vintage 2007

Autumn and winter were extremely dry, meaning no water was harvested for the irrigation dam. We started a season that turned out to be the worst drought in living memory, a one in a 100 year drought, with restricted water supply. The growing season started cool and dry with frosts being recorded in October. Nearby vineyards suffered frost damage to their vines for the first time ever. Despite the drought there was enough continuing small rain events with cold, windy weather during flowering causing the fruit set to be interrupted and incomplete. Warmer temperatures in the latter part of the growing season saw the degree day sum required being reached earlier than ever recorded at Yabby Lake Vineyard. Grape maturities accelerated rapidly and picking got off to a frantic early start. Late in February we received 30mm of rain and the ripening curve slowed down rapidly. The majority of vintage was completed however before we would normally start. As we started picking it quickly became apparent that berry weights and bunch sizes were up to 30% lower than forecast leading to a very small crop of intensely flavoured fruit.

Vintage 2006

A warmer than average spring saw the vines get off to a good start with good weather over flowering. January to March was then cooler than average but, despite this, the growing degree day target for pinot noir and chardonnay was reached early on 5 March (The same as 2001). It was a warm, dry, disease-free season with vintage starting earlier than normal. Bunch sizes and berry weights were good with crops coming in on forecast and in good condition. Another good vintage, the fourth in a row. Whatever happened to vintage variation…?!

Vintage 2005

A very wet end to winter and a wet start to spring saw some vineyards showing signs of stress from wet roots early in the growing period. There were also some signs of salt damage with the wet weather bringing up salt that had accumulated through the preceding dry years. The season moved on to be cool and dry. Flowering and fruit set was good and vine growth healthy. Very little disease pressure was encountered this season. A late cool vintage was expected but autumn turned out to be dry and very warm and grape maturities accelerated to see harvest getting underway about a week later than normal and then rushing quickly through with real pressure on to get the grapes picked at optimum maturity. Analysis of the grape juice showed good balance with slightly higher than usual levels of acid. 2005 could be seen as one of the best ever on the Mornington Peninsula.

Vintage 2004

Late spring weather from the previous vintage indicated a potentially very fruitful crop.  A mild winter and early spring led to fairly typical and even budburst.  Spring was average to slightly warm, resulting in steady vine development.  November and December were warmer than average, leading to highly fruitful buds for next (2005) vintage and very good flowering and fruit set for the 2004 vintage.  Bunch weights were thus high and for Pinot Noir were at the very high end of recorded figures.  A very cold January then slowed vine development considerably, ensuring late ripening and relatively high acid levels. February and March were about average and fortunately .

April was warmer than usual.  Conditions were also very dry, meaning this late ripening could occur with relatively low disease pressure. The resulting fruit was very good quality with superb flavours. Winemakers predicted that 2004 had the potential to be the best vintage for some time.

Vintage 2003

A good, dry growing season with no disease pressure. Dry weather at flowering led to good fruit set with uniform bunches unlike last year where we had a lot of Hen & Chicken berries. The weather was hot and dry. The Mornington Peninsula was a declared drought area but all growers had sufficient water for irrigation to ensure the vines were not badly stressed. Crops of moderate size have ripened fully. Fruit of excellent quality and flavour was delivered to the wineries - clean and free of disease the outlook for the 2003 vintage proved excellent. Generally crops came in up to 15% below forecast. This means the forecast oversupply of pinot noir grapes will not be a problem. Rain in mid-vintage slowed things down a little but the fruit coming in was still very good quality with superb flavours. Winemakers are talking of this having the potential to be the best vintage for some time.

Vintage 2002

It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. It was the summer of our discontent. A mild winter saw a very early bud break with good fruitfulness apparent. Unfortunately at flowering the weather closed in and it was cold, wet and windy. This caused significant amounts of cap stick resulting in the worst fruit set in memory. One long term vigneron said it was the worst season he had seen in 27 years. But he cautioned against despair. The finest wines in the world come from regions that are on the edge climatically. Crop levels dropped to around 30% of the prior year. A warm dry autumn however ensured the crop available was harvested in excellent condition and reports on the 2002 wine show the quality to be very good.