Vintage 2010

As we go to print, the 2010 vintage is well under way and the conditions have been good this year. Rainfall during spring and early summer was excellent and during the crucial stages of flowering we had, in the main, fine weather. The rain-bearing systems spared us physical damage although some patches in the later ripening varieties were slightly affected by a day of spectacular thunderstorms. Although these did produce some hail storms, luckily for us, none of them were near Moss Wood.

These conditions were, at times, favourable for the fungal diseases and there were some outbreaks around the region but our spray program was successful in controlling any problems.

Most varieties flowered slightly later than average and their development continued that way until the third week of February, reflecting the fact that average temperature through December, January and early February remained slightly below average. We did have the odd hot day, the hottest being Sunday 17th January, when the mercury peaked at 39.3C. There have been press reports of losses through sunburn but these were minimal at Moss Wood. However, February ended with a bang, with a series of days in the mid-thirties, starting on the 23rd and lasting until the 3rd March. This brought the vintage on with a rush and we started with Pinot Noir on the 24th February and had almost reached halfway by the 10th March. At the time of writing, the temperatures have eased and ripening has slowed accordingly and we now expect to finish in early April.

There has been terrific flowering of the Marri trees and it’s very interesting to see how much the birds prefer this blossom over the grapes. In a year like this, when the blooms are plentiful, the birds are hardly seen in the vineyard, even when the grapes are fully ripe and easily seen. Yet, as soon as the flowering finishes, the birds appear in droves, as happened this year by mid-March. Fortunately the late damage was minimal and all varieties have been in excellent condition.

The most exciting and worrying part of the season, in equal parts, occurred while we monitored the southward progress of the recent storm that did terrible damage in Perth. Once again, we were lucky and by the time it reached us, all it produced was 5 millimetres of rain and thankfully, no hail. The same cannot be said of Clare’s car, which, being driven by our eldest daughter Eloise, got caught in the hail near the University of Western Australia. Very frightening for her and many, many other Perth residents.

These good conditions have led to average, or higher, yields for all varieties although the most crucial thing for us about any vintage is its quality. In 2010, all varieties exhibit excellent fruit aromas, with great intensity, and very well balanced tannins. We hold very high hopes for them.