Vintage Reports

Following Vintage and Harvest Report from:

Australia:
- Cape Mentelle

Cape Mentelle - Australia -

2005 Vintage Report



Margaret River experienced the full range of emotions from the weather in 2005, from kind, balmy mild days with a gentle zephyr of a breeze to angry days with sheeting rain, below average temperatures and more wind than Mr. Bean at a baked bean convention. Yes a memorable vintage which beguiled us initially with weather that was exactly like the beginning of the celebrated 2004 vintage; mild and dry conditions prevailed providing the ideal growing and ripening weather for another typically great Margaret River vintage, but then unexpectedly, by the middle of March, conditions changed to a situation which tested the nerve and stamina of even the most battle hardened winemaker.
Temperatures were below average for the entire season with no day getting hotter than 35 degrees and even that was a rare event. The odd shower kept vine growth vigorous up until November, after which we had hardly any rainfall at all until 20 mm of rain fell on 9 March.
From the middle of March we experienced rather uneven ripening with days that started quite cool warming to mild through the course of the day with cloudy overcast conditions, though of course we did get the odd day of sun shiny weather to kick along the ripening, but it's not often in Margaret River that you are looking for the scraps of firewood leftover from last winter to warm up home in the middle of March. The icing on the cake however was the two extra bouts of rain dumped on the vines that were struggling to ripen their fruit, around the end of March and then on 9 April.
Most of our whites were harvested under ideal conditions in early March; the Sauvignon and Chardonnay in particular had excellent varietal flavour and acidity. These varieties were as good if not better than 2004 and we are quite excited by their development. The Zinfandel was harvested early March and looks as big and mean as Zin normally does. Some early harvested batches of Shiraz were also just about perfect, showing a wonderful balance between spice, red and black berries. In fact Shiraz overall seemed to survive well. This was somewhat of a surprise to us as normally the softer skin Shiraz doesn't respond as well to rain as the thicker skin Cabernet. Cabernet and Merlot flavour development were sluggish due to the prevailing mild conditions, it was unfortunate that hang time on the vine for flavour and tannin ripeness was interrupted by the rain.
The vintage is over, mother nature has once again decided the fate of our wines and now it is up to the winemakers to respond to the challenge of creating the wines that reflect the personality of the vintage and of course Cape Mentelle.


Vintage Report 2004
Each vintage has the uncanny ability to take on a personality all of its own, which I guess is the sum of all those nuances of weather coupled with the way grapevines and winemakers react to the prevailing climatic conditions.
Having seen a few vintages in Margaret River, I can safely say that although some were similar no two vintages have been identical. So the chances of making the same wine each year is about the same as picking the trifecta in the Melbourne Cup.
What is really nifty is how all these effects - weather, soil, aspect - not to forget the intervention of the winemaker, are echoed in the way the wine of each vintage tastes, rather like a vintage seismograph.
So, what was the weather like in 2004? Winter was a touch on the cold side: I do recall a never-ending firewood supply to keep the home fires burning. Temperatures in spring and summer were pleasantly mild to warm, while most nights required at least one blanket to snuggle. Things did get pretty hot around mid-to late March with a few scorchers thrown in for good measure, but by then the whites were all in tanks and the reds were knocking on the door of ripeness.
The growing season was marked by rather dry weather that lasted from mid-November right through to mid-April when the first decent bucketing of the rainy season hit. In fact, we only had a piddling of 50 to 100 mm of rain for the six months between November and mid-April, depending on where you were in the southwest.
Lack of rain was the biggest factor influencing the nature of the wine this vintage. But in my experience this usually augurs well for wine quality especially when combined with the generally mild to warm weather. Ripening was certainly slower than most vintages - up to seven days later than normal. Slower ripening will generally giver brighter, crisper wines providing the vines weren't too stressed. Irrigation was certainly a saviour this year, allowing the vines to maintain sufficient health to ripen.
Consequently, fruit flavours in both reds and whites are well defined, with terrific varietal expression and purity. The low rainfall and lower than normal yields had added complexity and intensity, particularly to the red wines.
Vintage ranking:1. 1991, 1995, 1999, 2001, 20042. 1994, 1996, 1998, 2002, 20033. 1992, 1993, 1997




Vintage Report 2003
Yet another relatively low rainfall winter in 2002 adds weight to the boffins' predictions of long-term climate change in the southwest of Western Australia. They base their claims on accumulated data and computer projections, but these can be put into perspective.
The historical annual average rainfall is 1100mm. In a year when we only get 950mm (as in 2002) the streams still flow, the water table is replenished and the dams are filled. If winter was a bit dry, the spring months of September, October and November were close to average. The weather was mild and encourages good vigorous growth. December is always an impatient month in the annual vineyards cycle, being the time when the flowers blossom and the berries set. This occurred in favorable conditions, which persisted through January, and it seemed we were set for a walk-up start to vintage. But such was not to be.
February was testy and unruly – hot, windy weather pushed the earlier varieties rapidly to ripeness. Harvest of chardonnay and sauvignon blanc commenced in late February, facilitated by the commissioning of a new harvester which brought the mechanical team to three. Speed and flexibility were needed early in the vintage and by the time there was a cool break in the second week of March all the whites were in.
The cool weather persisted for most of March and we took the harvest of the red varieties one day at a time. Every afternoon we dialled up the weather map and the forecast, a ritual that dominated decisions well into April. The red varieties took their time to reach full ripeness.
Patience, some courage and good logistics paid off. When vintage concluded on 22 April it was judged as difficult but ultimately successful. Results were more varied than usual but the better vineyards lived up to their pedigrees and we have some very good wines to work with.
Vintage ranking:1. 1991, 1995, 1999, 20012. 1994, 1996, 1998, 2002, 20033. 1992, 1993, 1997


Vintage Report 2002
For anyone with a half interest in the weather and its consequences (vignerons and other farmers included), the nightly barometric chart on telly takes on the same importance as the All Ordinaries Index to a stockmarket punter.
Over the years I've gained some prowess at interpreting the swirling lines that depict the fluxing pressure gradients in the lower atmosphere, which give you a glimpse over the horizon to the weather ahead.
The charts we watched for the duration of the 2001 winter gave us nothing but angst. They were more like patters we associate with summer. It was a chart showing low systems south of Cape Leeuwin that should have been closer to Geraldton, rainless south-westerlies off a cold ocean instead of the north-westerlies with their moisture-laden, alto-stratus clouds.
All this added up to the driest winter on record. When the vines commenced growing in spring, we were topping up the water table from the dam. Thanks God for plastic pipe!
Budburst was early and uneven, a pattern that persisted with strong but uneven shoot growth and protracted flowering. Chardonnay was most affected, but cabernet sauvignon suffered too.
Fortunately, the dry spell did not carry into spring and there was good rainfall throughout the growing season. Ripening progressed in mild, stable and near-perfect conditions. The resulting crop at Cape Mentelle was lighter than average and for such a cool year this was a distinct advantage.
Harvest was late, drawn out and logistically a cakewalk. The ever predictable rains in mid-March were light and fleeting. All in all it turned out to be a very good vintage.
Vintage ranking:1. 1991, 1995, 1999, 20012. 1994, 1996, 1998, 20023. 1992, 1993, 1997

Vintage Report 2001
The growing season started well and progressed through spring and early summer with conditions that were drier than normal but good for vines.
January produced some hot days and the heat, combined with low soil moisture set the scene for an early vintage. During February, the warm dry trend continued and we experienced five consecutive days in the high 30's, sending grape sugar levels up.

Vintage commenced 10 days early with the first merlot crushed at Cape Mentelle on March 7th. The first week of the red crush was busy but worrying. Sugar levels were skyrocketing, while flavour and tannin ripeness lagged seriously behind.
In the second week of March, light rains and cloudy days signalled the end of summer and the onset of true autumnal weather patterns, restoring ripeness development to normal patterns.
Through the remainder of March and until the final cabernet was crushed on April 12th, we picked grapes in peak condition with high sugar levels but with full flavour and tannin to balance the resulting alcohol.
Harvest concluded eight days earlier than in 2000 with a clear consensus that it had been another very good vintage.
Vintage Ranking: 1 - 1991/1995/1999 2 - 1992/1994/1996/1998 3 - 1993/1997
It is early days yet but 2001 will be an undisputed 2 for us at Cape Mentelle; and for some producers a genuinely top tier year.


Vintage Report 2000
This comprehensive Margaret River vintage overview was prepared by David Hohnen who ranks 2000 as an impressive year.Winters are notoriously mild in Margaret River. The warm Leeuwin current, with origins in equatorial zones, hugs the Western Australian coast as it heads south to mix with the Southern Ocean. It can't do much about the howling north-westerlies but it does ensure we never get frosts and that the growing season breaks early in September, compared to October in most other regions.This year winter seemed unwilling to let go. Bud-burst occurred in the second week of September but growth didn't really spurt till October.

November, the month of flowering, set the region up for a good crop. Unusually dry conditions with above average temperatures continued into December, resulting in strong but not totally desirable vegetative growth which necessitated extra work to trim runaway shoots and open the canopies.
January was unseasonably wet with more than 50mm of rain. February continued the pattern with another 28mm and periods of high humidity. Growing conditions were more than ideal and we prepared for a vintage two weeks ahead of normal.
Harvest commenced in mid-February with chardonnay preceding sauvignon blanc. As March rolled around some merlot was picked and some wineries started on cabernet.
Cyclone averted
The first week brought considerable cyclonic activity up north. Only Olga headed south with predictions of up to 200mm of rain for the Cape. Happily, and for the first time in memory, we were saved by a south-westerly cold front that blew Olga down to Albany.
The latter half of March was mild and dry and April was sublime. All the reds were picked in typical autumn conditions with excellent ripeness. The last cabernet came in on April 20th.
A good vintage? Certainly. A great vintage? Hard to call, but I am sure some great wines will be made.

Vintage Report 1999 by David Hohnen
Vintage 99 will be remembered for the pranks of a tempestuous trio - Elaine, Vance and Gwenda - a series of three tropical cyclones that struck the Top End, and could have had disastrous effect on the harvest.But let's start at the beginning. Bud-burst was late and the first signs of spring growth did not appear until late September. october provided good growing weather, as did November and flowering commenced on the 13th. A very good berry set laid the foundations for a bumper harvest. Each summer I grow grosse lisse tomatoes, an old-fashioned variety. Usually I pick the first ripe tomatoes by 30 December, but this year I had to wait until mid-January. So it was odds-on that the grape harvest would be late too.Vintage finally got underway on 26 February with chardonnay, followed by sauvignon blanc, then zinfandel. We had one tank of merlot in and shiraz in our sights when Cyclone Elaine showed up on the 17 March forecast. Within two days, we were experiencing cloud, humidity and scattered showers.Elaine had not even departed when Vance made his debut on 20 March and for another scary week the weather persisted. Brix levels fell back and the grapes hung in limbo, increasingly vulnerable to botrytis and grey rot.The skies cleared at the end of March and we got back into harvest mode. The machines were hardly cranked up when Gwenda rolled up on 5 April. Luckily, she was a slob, lacking the determination and energy of Elaine and Vance and we got off quite lightly. The balance of April was sublime, cabernet, merlot and shiraz regained their concentration and some great fruit was harvested.