2022 Vintage Report

April 28, 2022

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

May 20, 2021

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.

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.

Visitors Centre Graph 2021-05-12 to 2021-05-19.jpeg

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

May 16, 2020

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.

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.

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

June 1, 2019

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.

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.

2018 Vintage Report

April 24, 2018

Vintage Report by James Hook

Wines made:

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

Harvest at the Rosedale Vineyard: Sellicks Foothills: McLaren Vale Wine Region.

As the newly juiced wine is being put into barrels to begin maturation, we can now pass comment on the season.

The reported harvest from McLaren Vale was 35,650 tonnes in 2018, compared with 44,153 tonnes in 2017 – a decline of 19%. Over the past five years, the average crush has been 36,408 tonnes. This year’s vintage was very similar to the average.

The vintage in McLaren Vale is being touted as producing wine of excellent quality. The collective "we", the McLaren Vale grape and wine community, live and breathe the “big three” red varieties (Shiraz, Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon). The big three combined are around 80% of our wine production. Each of these were suited by the season.

Fruit around Kuitpo and Hope Forest (technically in the Adelaide Hills Wine Region with a mix of grapes that includes cooler climate varieties like Pinot Noir) also when very smoothly.

At this early point we are scoring the vintage between 8/10 and near perfect. The best sites are going to be as good as our region produces.

The wine quality was set up by having a good wet season in 2017 which mean healthy vines, but a dry season this year, which prevented excessive vigour or disease problems.

Summer and early Autumn were unusually dry, there was as little as 10mm of rain from 1st of January to picking in the middle of March. Fortunately McLaren Vale growers have access to multiple water sources, including recycled water, which allows for timely irrigation - and sites in Kuitpo thrive in drier seasons.

Favourable summer ripening weather with daytime temperatures in the high twenties, with cool nights, led to fruit in great condition at picking. The good condition of fruit going into the winery allowed winemakers the freedom to take time and give full care in the winery.

Crop yields were 15-20% down on Vintage 2017 which was a bumper crop compared to average. The yields recorded this year are in line with the averages picked from 2010 to 2016.

2017 Vintage Report

May 6, 2017

Vintage report by James Hook

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

Vintage 2017 in the McLaren Vale Wine Region was judged highly successful for both grape growers, who had above average crops with minimal faults, and winemakers who had the ability to pick fruit as they required during an extended dry autumn.

The reported harvest from McLaren Vale was 44,287 tonnes in 2017, compared to 40,997 tonnes in 2016. Over the past five years, the average crush has been 33,901 tonnes. This year’s vintage was the largest in the past five years.

Winter weather conditions help set up the early growth of our vineyards with above average rainfall leading to full soil profiles.

Spring was also significantly wetter than average. There were notable large storms and high winds with frequent low-pressure fronts moving through the region. Fortunately, the weather patterns during flowering were relatively stable and dry. Spring air temperatures were cooler than average and flowering was delayed by 14-21 days compared to recent seasons, while veraison was also delayed.

Harvest began later than in 2016, with very few vineyards picked in February, with picking continuing into late April.

There was one significant rain event of approximately 25mm in the first week of February. Fortunately, this did not cause widespread berry splitting and Botrytis levels remained low in the aftermath. Weather conditions during March were stable, with little natural rainfall, although there were some morning dews.

Autumn continued to be warm and dry through early April allowing almost all vineyards to be successfully harvested.

The earlier picked red vineyards, including Shiraz and Tempranillo, have been described as having good fruit characters; winemaking reports are they are lively, bright, spicy, vibrant, and elegant. Towards the end of vintage, parcels of Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon and Mourvèdre were described as excellent examples of these grape styles.

2016 Vintage Report

March 17, 2016

Vintage Report by James Hook

The grapes are in... What will the wines be like? Read report to know what has influenced the wines for this year.

Vintage 2016 will be remembered for a warm and dry spring, which promoted shoot growth and flowering, followed up by heavy rain immediately before harvest which helped boost vineyard yields. At harvest vines produced some of the bigger crops we have seen since 2004, but they generally weren’t overcropped as vine growth was balanced.

The reported harvest from McLaren Vale was 40,997 tonnes in 2016, 12,000 tonnes above the 2015 harvest and 21% above the five year average crush.

The warm spring and early summer days and nights ensured that vines grew well and then set well. The 2015/16 growing season had some similarities with the lean 2006/07 and 2007/08 seasons. In all three, growing season rainfall was less than 50% of the long term average.

Overall, rainfall for winter was lower than average, due to a dry June 2015, and this was followed by long dry periods where no effective rain fell until the first week of February. Disease pressure was generally low due to the long dry periods, following on from dry 2013 and 2014 springs as well. Irrigation application was vital to crop health and the local recycled water system, that supplies 45-50% of the region’s irrigation water, was stretched. Rationing of this water source was flagged in January but fortunately full allocations were maintained.

Growers were able to compensate for the shortfall in rainfall with improved irrigation techniques and an uninterrupted supply. White grape harvest started at the end of January, with sparkling base wines and vineyards destined for light white wine styles.

At the beginning of February, immediately before the bulk of the region was to be harvested, McLaren Vale had double its average monthly rainfall over two days due to one storm. However, far from having a negative effect, the intense rain event increased the bunch weight of crops at harvest and relieved any water stress on the vines. The rain also delayed the start of red grape picking into the middle of February. March had above average rainfall, but fortunately this fell after a high percentage of harvest was complete. Powdery Mildew flared up and Botrytis increased but only on the latest picked fruit.

James Hook.

2015 Vintage Report

June 6, 2015

Vintage report by James Hook

The reported harvest from McLaren Vale was 28,434 tonnes in 2015, 14% below the 2014 harvest. Over the past five years, the average crush was 34,806 tonnes implying that 2015 yields were down on average. This year’s vintage was the smallest in the past five years.

In general the 2014/2015 season was notable for month long periods where no rain fell. The McLaren Vale Wine Region experienced an average winter rainfall, although it fell in a strange pattern. June and July were wetter than average, but no significant rain fell during August. Temperatures in late August were notably cold overnight, which delayed budburst (EL-4) in general.

It continued to be very dry across our district through September, October and November with the lowest spring rainfall in the last 20 years. This led to very low fungal disease pressure, but also reduced the natural vigour of the grapevines and canopies grew to a smaller size than typical.

Flowering began early. The weather was warm and the winds were mild. Berry set was not affected by the weather but it was reduced by the widespread presence of Eutypa lata, which has become the most economically damaging disease in the region.

December passed with rainfall continuing to be low. Several locations recorded their lowest total December rainfall for at least 20 years. Despite hot days through the first week of January, cooler than normal conditions from the second week onwards resulted in the coolest January days experienced across the state since 1992. Nights were generally near average.

February began with mild weather but hot weather coincided with the start of harvest, and temperatures throughout much of February were above average. In particular daytime temperatures were 2 to 3 °C warmer than average. Harvesting for the 2015 vintage was completed earlier than expected. Picking was extremely compressed and took just over seven weeks to complete.

Yields for 2015 were generally average at best with most vineyards below average. Lower yields and warm weather did cause a spike in sugar levels in berries. The notion of hanging fruit out in the vineyard to develop flavour and seed ripeness was replaced by the urgent need to pick fruit before sugar levels got too high and berry skins began to break down.

Reports so far are indicating strong regional characters reds with early harvested Shiraz again standing out, joined by the varieties that traditionally fare well in dry seasons, Mouvedre and Grenache, along with those recently planted for drought tolerance, Fiano, Montepulciano and Tempranillo.

2014 Vintage Report

June 7, 2014

Vintage Report by James Hook

The harvest from McLaren Vale region was 33,092 tonnes in 2014, down by 2,137 tonnes (6%) from the 2013 harvest of 35,229 tonnes.

For McLaren Vale summer conditions were significantly warmer than average with two heat waves through January and one in February tested the limits of grapevine tolerance to extreme heat. Equally damaging were extremely high speed winds which reduced berry set, stripped leaves and reduced the size of canopies and increased the level of fruit exposure. This was followed by some very hot days.

The 2013 vintage was completed earlier than expected in McLaren Vale and many thought that going into this year’s would have been the same after vines ‘shut down’ through January and February to limit water stress. The opposite happened. Rain in February rehydrated vines and freshened up vine leaves. The rain also signaled the beginning of a pattern of cooler daytime temperatures which allowed fruit to finish ripening during some relatively moderate temperatures. The moisture boost also fortunately helped improve fruit balance and crop levels for the district. This year’s harvest was prolonged by a slow ripening period. The first harvest began with sparkling base at the end of January and ended during April with the last of the red grapes crushed. Ultimately the weather though March and April produced one of the easiest vintages since the early 2000’s.

James Hook McLaren Vale Crop Watch Editor

2013 Vintage Report

June 1, 2013

Vintage Report by James Hook

The 2013 vintage has been completed earlier than expected in McLaren Vale. The season was successful with no rain interrupting the quick harvest. Harvesting grapes was completed by the end of March. With all of the fruit safely into wineries by Easter, the industry is now grateful for a holiday break.

Blewitt Springs Shiraz ripening in early Autumn.

Chardonnay was harvested from the middle of February with Shiraz beginning at the end of February. By the first week of March a large percentage of the district had already been harvested. Harvested yields were down from what was expected but did total more than recent seasons.

The harvest from McLaren Vale was 35,229 tonnes in 2013, up by 3,474 tonnes (10.9%) from the 2012 harvest of 31,755 tonnes.

As well as being dry, there was effectively no rainfall for three months from December; it was also notable for being a warm summer. In the background it was officially announced to be the warmest summer experienced in Australia since records began and this explains the rapid ripening seen locally. The weather presented some challenges, but also had some advantages, disease levels were the lowest for many years and fruit was very clean. Demand for McLaren Vale fruit was high, due to low crops in recent vintages which are typical in dry seasons, but also because of the regions reputation for consistent quality.

Winery demand was led by the classic red grape varieties Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. There was also interest in Grenache and Mourvèdre which are varieties that suited by warm and dry weather. The average prices for McLaren Vale fruit is expected to increase in response to this demand when final tallies are calculated.

The McLaren Vale vintage was light in crop, but of very good quality. Grape bonus payments based on that quality will help make up for some shortfalls in grape growers returns from lower than expected tonnages. At this early stage the wine quality is looking very promising with the reds having excellent colour and flavour.

The rapid and early harvesting tested many winemakers experience in juggling which vineyards to pick immediately and which grapes to keep on the vine to improve. When picked just right, the results will rank highly compared against previous vintages that have earned McLaren Vale its reputation.