Vintage 2023 Report

This season’s vintage went against the trend since the mid-2000s of earlier bud burst, flowering and harvest. Cold temperatures during critical Spring and Autumn delayed vine development. Vintage started about three weeks later than average and lasted through mid-April.

The reckoning is Vintage 2023 to be one of the slower ripening harvests, with many sites picked on the latest date recorded. There were some other late Vintages in McLaren Vale in the 1990s due to cool seasons (1996, 1997 and 1998). For vineyards planted after 1998, the slow 2004 harvest with high vine yields leading to a record for tonnage harvested for our region was the latest date into the winery.

Unfortunately, harvested tonnages this year were generally lower than average, particularly for vineyards in the southern part of the region around Sellicks Hill, Aldinga, Whites Valley, Maslins Beach and Willunga. One of the critical causes of lower yields was wet and windy weather during flowering. This contributed to a lower percentage of berry set, with fewer berries per bunch. In addition, the percentage of berries set was lowest for vineyards close to the Gulf of St Vincent, where they are exposed to cold South-Westerly winds.

Latterly it was also windy during February and March. With blasts up to 85 km/hr, local gully winds flow from the Mt Lofty Ranges, accelerating down the foothills into the Willunga Basin. These high-speed winds further reduced vine yields by breaking shoots and dehydrating bunches during ripening.

Fungal disease pressure was high during Spring; we had the wettest November for 30 years, and then high pressure again in late Autumn, as March and April was wetter than typical. Fungal diseases did have some adverse effects on the harvested crop—Downy mildew infections during flowering damaged bunches. An estimated 25% of bunches were lost to disease in the most severe cases. Bunch Botrytis also developed in late Autumn, with some crops needing to be selectively harvested, with fruit dropped, to prevent Botrytis-infected bunches from contaminating ferments.

Almost all varieties at all locations in the McLaren Vale Wine Region, did reach maturity, though. Very few vineyards were left unpicked because they did not get full ripeness. Successfully ripening grapes was a credit to grape growers who persisted through adverse conditions.

2022 Vintage Report

Vintage Report by James Hook

For the McLaren Vale Wine Region reports from the wine community have been positive, vines held condition well due to a cool summer, and winemaking was made easier by gentle ripening conditions. There were key climatic similarities between Vintage 2022 and the preceding Vintage 2021. This bodes well for wine quality as Vintage 2021 is already highly regarded.

In comparison for both Vintages, while it was a wet La Niña influenced year for other parts of Australia, McLaren Vale vineyards received less than their average rainfall. Both vintages started with above average winter and early spring rains, before having dry conditions through summer and autumn, leading to lower overall rainfall totals.

There is a notable difference between 2021 and 2022. Unfortunately, tonnages were lower than those of 2021 overall as a whole. The lower yields were generally due to unfavourable weather during flowering.  It was cold and windy in mid-spring which corresponded with flowering. November was about 1.5 degrees Celsius cooler than average. This contributed to a lower percentage of berry set, with less berries per bunch, and explains why we didn’t pick as many grapes as in 2021. Berry set was lowest for vineyards that are close to the Gulf St Vincent and therefore are most exposed to cold south-westerly winds.

Above: McLaren Vale Shiraz progressing from berry set to harvest, November to March - Vintage 2022.

Continuing the parallels between Vintages both had mild summers, without heatwave conditions. January and February 2022 recorded no days above 40 degrees Celsius.

The mild summer was followed by warm autumn season, as with Vintage 2021, this produced a gentle and slow ripening period and delayed harvest. Both seasons had late Veraison colour change dates, and corresponding later harvest dates. Both Vintages generally harvested grapes free of botrytis bunch rot which improves the ability of the resultant wine to age in bottle.

For 2022 grape picking took eight weeks to complete starting at full pace in the first week of March and ending in the second week of April. Harvest dates were like those of 2021. Both were drawn out compared to what has been the recent experience.

So overall we would class Vintage 2022 right up there for quality. Reds have intense, rich and balanced flavours and colours. Whites have pretty aromatics and natural acidity. It may be as well regarded as 2021.

James’ video report prepared for McLaren Vale Grape, Wine & Tourism / DJ’s Growers.

This looks at the key weather events that have influenced the wines for Vintage 2022.

2021 Vintage Report

Lazy Ballerina wines made:

Shiraz, Grenache, Riesling (Clare Valley), Sauvignon Blanc, & NV sparkling wines.

Vintage Report by James Hook

The local wine community is heralding Vintage 2021 as one of the best of the 21st Century.  Overall vineyards in the McLaren Vale Wine Region were more productive, with higher yields at harvest, compared to recent seasons. Importantly the increase in vine yields was combined with excellent quality which was well received by the region’s winemakers.

The reported crush of winegrapes from McLaren Vale was 36,659 tonnes in 2021, up by 28 per cent compared with the 2020 reported crush of 28,751 tonnes.

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Overall the season was average for rainfall, but this fell primarily early in the growing season well before there was ripening fruit. The season was started well as it was the wettest spring since 2010/11. September and October were both wetter than average months. This was welcome after a run of dry spring conditions from 2018 onwards which been contributing to low crop yields. The weather was also warmer than average for both daytime and night-time temperatures. Improved climatic conditions for vine growth increased the vigour of vines, and general vine health compared to the last few seasons.

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Spring rain did see an outbreak of Downy Mildew begin in some vineyards, but this was quickly suppressed. The wet season ended with a much drier than average November. November 2020 was the driest since 1990 and was a definite hard end to Spring.

November also proved to have the average daily maximum temperature for growing season. This is a rare occurrence. The summer months of January or February are usually the warmest. Both daytime and night-time temperatures for summer were cooler than average. One of the warmest days for the season was on November 27th which was 38.8°C.  

The warm November coincided with flowering. Driven by warm temperatures flowering progressed quickly sites generally took between ten and twenty days from the first capfall to berry set and was completed by the end of November.  

There was mild weather through December. There were only two days above 35°C. January was slightly hotter but still below average.  The hottest day was 24th January, which triggered a bushfire at Cherry Gardens nearby in the Adelaide Hills, with 42.9°C recorded at Noarlunga. The temperatures in February were ideal with no days above 35°C and temperatures staying around the high 20s and low 30s each day.

Veraison in red grapes and softening in whites was later than typical, early February, and ripening was steady. There were a few rain events of 10-20mm during ripening, but this has only a minor effect on harvest. Botrytis levels were almost nil except for a few cases of tight bunches, or sites that had insect damage.

Grape picking took 8 weeks to complete starting at full pace in the first week of March and ending in the second week of April. It was a long, drawn out vintage compared to what has been the recent experience. The reports from winemakers on wine quality has been good, with winemaking made easier by cool weather and gentle ripening.  

2020 Vintage Report

Vintage Report by James Hook

Lazy Ballerina wines made: Shiraz, Grenache, Viognier, & Non-Vintage sparkling wines.

The McLaren Vale Wine Region experienced a drier than average growing season for the third year in a row. The continuation of dry conditions has contributed to generally low yields across the region.

The reported crush of winegrapes from McLaren Vale was 28,751 tonnes in 2020, down by 13 per cent compared with the 2019 reported crush of 33,055 tonnes. Over the past five years (up to 2019), the average crush for McLaren Vale has been 36,590 tonnes, making the 2020 crush 21 per cent below the five-year average.

Dry conditions during spring reduced the vigour of vines, while several days of very high winds in late November were seen to reduce the berry set of Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranillo which were flowering at the time.

The summer of Vintage 2020 was a tale of two summers. Our “first” summer, the month of December, was the hottest on record.

December’s hot weather had vines showing signs of water and heat stress much earlier in the season than they would typically but also suppressed Powdery and Downy Mildew and there were very low levels of disease this vintage.

Fortunately, to break the record hot weather, the northern Australian monsoon season started at the start of January, and temperatures over southern Australia dropped correspondingly. We had 13 consecutive days below 30°C from 15–27 January. This was the longest such run in January since 1992 and longest in summer since December 2008. The mean average temperatures were 1.2 °C below average.

The start of February saw a monsoonal rain band move over South Australia and the McLaren Vale Wine Region experienced 20-30mm during three days of thunderstorms. It was just enough summer rain to freshen up vineyards, without the unwanted side effect of berry splitting and then botrytis bunch rot.

This trend of cooler weather continued through February and it proved much cooler than average, with no maximum temperatures above 35°C for the first time. February is “normally” the hottest month.

Grape picking took 5 weeks to complete starting at full pace in the first week of March and ending at the start of April. The report from winemakers on wine quality has been good, with winemaking made easier by cool weather and lower tonnages allowing for close attention at the winery.

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OVERVIEW OF VINTAGE STATISTICS

The reported crush of winegrapes from McLaren Vale was 28,751 tonnes in 2020, down by 13 per cent compared with the 2019 reported crush of 33,055 tonnes. Over the past five years (up to 2019), the average crush for McLaren Vale has been 36,590 tonnes, making this year’s crush 21 per cent below the five-year average. Compared with the other major regions in SA, McLaren Vale had a relatively small reduction and reported a larger crush than the Barossa Valley and Langhorne Creek for the first time since 2004, and was second largest region by volume in the state in 2020.

The total estimated value of winegrapes from McLaren Vale in 2020 was $56.5 million compared with $59 million in 2019. The decrease in production was partly offset by an overall increase in the average purchase value of grapes, which increased by 10 per cent from $1771 per tonne in 2019 to $1951 per tonne.

There were increases in average prices for the three largest varieties: Shiraz up by 8 per cent to $2107 per tonne, Cabernet Sauvignon up 12 per cent to $1998 per tonne and Grenache up by 16 per cent to $2156 per tonne. The average value of Grenache was higher than Shiraz for the first time.

The price dispersion data shows an upward shift in purchase prices, with 47 per cent of red grapes purchased at $2000 per tonne and above, compared with 26 per cent last year.

According to Vinehealth Australia data, the total vineyard area in McLaren Vale as at 30 April 2020 is 7349 hectares, compared with 7337 hectares in 2019. The total area is around 100 hectares less than it was 5 years ago.

2019 Vintage Report

2019 Vintage Report by James Hook

Wines made: Shiraz, Grenache, Viognier, & Non-Vintage Sparkling Wines.

The McLaren Vale wine region relied on its advantage, natural and constructed, to have a successful vintage for 2019. Specifically, proximity to the moderating temperature influence of the Gulf St Vincent, reliable spring rainfall, and access to multiple irrigation sources and helped vineyards cope with a challenging dry and hot season.

The reported harvest from McLaren Vale was 33,038 tonnes in 2019. Over the past five years (2014-18), the average crush has been 36,492 tonnes. This year’s vintage was 9 per cent below the average.

The growing season rainfall from October to the end of March was 142mm, compared to the average of 172mm, the deficit in rain occurring during summer. The dry conditions posed significant challenges for local grape growers. A lack of summer rain meant the irrigation was important to make up for the shortfall. Using timely irrigation, firstly to develop a canopy large enough to sustain vineyard crops, then maintain the health of vines until harvest was vital.

Disease pressure (governed by rainfall, humidity and temperature) was very low for this vintage compared to the 2017 Vintage, our last season with above average rainfall, and other seasons with serious issues (1993 – downy mildew, 2011 - botrytis).  

There were two specific extreme weather events that did significantly alter vineyard development and ripening. Firstly, there was an intense hail storm in late November. The storm saw high speed winds buffet vines and hail fell leaving scars on some fruit. Then in late January we experienced our hottest daytime temperature since January 2009, 45oC, plus several days in late February where the temperatures were about 38oC.

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What was fruit like at harvest? Good, but there wasn’t as much of it as we’d like. At harvest vineyards in the McLaren Vale wine region generally had lower yields of fruit with more intense flavour. Vines had more open bunches, which weighed less than average.

The collective "we", the McLaren Vale grape and wine community, live and breathe our “big three” red varieties (Shiraz, Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon). Shiraz accounts for approximately 60% of our harvested tonnage. Cabernet Sauvignon is 19% and Grenache is 5%. Shiraz yields were significantly down, while Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache held better. For the second season in a row, our late season varieties (Mourvèdre, Montepulicano and Nero d’Avalo) held well until they were picked in late March.

Grape picking took just over 4 weeks to complete starting at full pace in the first week of March and ending at the end of the month. The report from winemakers on wine quality has been good, and winemaking was made easier by lower tonnages allowing for close attention the winery. Winemakers could use extended ferments if they required as there was little pressure to turn fruit into wineries compared to bumper years.

The combination of hail in November, a dry summer and hot weather in January and February is expected to reduce the overall size of our harvest compared to recent years. Crop yields expected to be 25% down on Vintage 2018, which in turn was 20% down on Vintage 2017 which was our last bumper crop.