Vintage 2014

At the time of writing, the 2014 vintage has been one of below average yields but very pleasing quality. All the whites are now finished and the Chardonnay, Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc are showing terrific fruit aroma and balance. It’s not that the low yields took us by surprise. Quite the contrary, in fact. The damage from the bad hail storm at the beginning of December 2012 was expected to suppress yields for at least 2 years but things were exacerbated by some very windy conditions during Spring 2013. For the varieties harvested so far, Chardonnay continues to confound, having produced a yield only 1% below average and Pinot Noir wasn’t too bad, down 6%. Sauvignon Blanc was down 12% but our two Semillon blocks fared worst of all – Moss Wood down 48% and Ribbon Vale 53%. Everything else about 2014 has been good to us. The Redgum blossom has been plentiful, so the birds have left us alone. Our fungicide spray program has worked well and controlled disease. Finally, and most importantly the quality question. A quick look at the temperatures reveals things have been very good for ripening. Up to the end of February, we had experienced an average across the growing season of 20.04ºC, making it one of the cooler seasons of the last decade and very similar to 2010. Mean temperature for the month of February was, coincidentally, 20.04ºC and the coolest since 2006. This does not mean the weather has been cold. Far from it, in fact because we’ve enjoyed a succession of days with a temperature range of the order of 12º to 28º. Apart from being very liveable for human beings, it suits the vines as well.