It was a tough, demanding vintage whose 1.15 million tonnes finished a little less than 15% below expectations of 1.3 million tonnes, but Australia did harvest more red winegrapes from 2000 than it did in the record-breaking 1999 season. Much of the shortfall in tonnage affected white grapes, especially chardonnay, which has had the immediate effect of shelving any talk about an Australian chardonnay surplus, for the time being at least. Personally, I favour the view that it’s time for Australians to begin planting chardonnay again, especially in quality areas. For the first time in recent years the mix of red to white grapes harvested was about 50:50, a dramatic change from the 1999 ratio of 60% white grapes. Poor fruit set across most major regions was the initial factor which reduced yields, followed by an especially hot January – February period which reduced berry sizes. From a quality perspective, grapes tended to ripen to quickly, causing sugar levels to far exceed flavour development and creating serious headaches for those wondering when to harvest fruit. Then heavy rains in late February brought fruit splitting problems and fungal disease issues. Fortunately the later and more Southerly regions got out of jail with a late Indian summer prior to harvest, keeping disease and splitting problems down to a minimum. Despite mixed news from much of the continent, the Hunter Valley and Margaret River both experienced nigh-perfect vintages, especially for red wines. New South Wales While the Hunter valley literally had the Vintage of the Century, with few able to decry this claim at this early stage, Mudgee’s hopes for 2000 were washed away with rains prior to and during harvest. Early-harvested whites could be okay. Both the Upper and Lower Hunter Valleys experienced some of their driest, hottest and potentially greatest years on record, with shiraz surpassing expectations even for 1998. The semillons may be too rich to be classic. While the Riverlands, responsible for much of Australia’s cheaper chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon and shiraz, didn’t fare as badly as some regions, crops were certainly down and quality below par. Cowra’s vintage caught some of the rain and crops are leaner and tighter than usual. South Australia South Australia’s best wine regions bore much of the brunt, during this difficult vintage, especially the Barossa valley and McLaren Vale, where many crops were reduced by as much as 40-60% and even then had a tough time ripening their reduced yields. Accelerated ripening under extreme heat made it virtually impossible to harvest shiraz and cabernet with their usual richness, while the late arrival of Tropical Cyclone Steve then dumped over two inches of rain on McLaren Vale’s stressed and soft-skinned fruit, bringing on downy mildew. Some parcels of Barossa cabernet from Lyndoch do however, show significant potential. Clare experienced the worst of South Australia’s heat and many growers didn’t have the water to keep their riesling and shiraz vines ticking. Yields are down but reds could be powerful and concentrated, provided they’re not too jammy. Fortunately the Adelaide Hills and Eden Valley both fared better, avoiding the extremes of heat, producing some very promising cabernet and shiraz. Coonawarra and the state’s southeast around Padthaway and Wratonbully also had and easier time ripening shiraz and cabernet fruit in cooler conditions, even if poor crop levels made it hard to find cabernet grapes at some Coonawarra vineyards. Wratonbully shiraz could be exceptional. Langhorne Creek was another region to experience a difficult year, although the vigorous young red vines planted over the last five to seven years helped pull through with some sound wines. South Australia’s Riverlands enjoyed one of its better red vintages. Tasmania If there was a state to prosper from 2000, that state is Tasmania. Although the south and east of the state is still enduring its worst drought ever – a factor which doubtless has contributed to reduced yields – Tasmania’s summer and autumn were close to perfect, consistently warm without ever becoming really hot. Naturally enough, winemakers are excited about quality, as many regions doubtless experienced their best, if earliest vintages ever. Pinot Noir fared particularly well, with intense colours and flavours. Victoria Victoria’s 2000 vintage was another early one, brought on by the heat. Viticulturally the challenge was to harvest fruit that was not excessively jammy and porty, especially north and west of the Great Divide, while even in some of the cooler regions like the Yarra Valley and Mornington Peninsula it appears that some growers were caught napping by the heat and harvested too late. Yields in the Yarra Valley were by-and-large well below normal despite a generally dry and disease-free season. Look to the cooler sites for the better pinot noirs in both regions. Under its third consecutive season of drought, Geelong’s fate will be determined by how well growers managed to protect their grapes against the heat with whatever water they had remaining. Low crops from central and western Victoria are likely to produce portier, jammier shiraz and cabernet than usual, while the Sunraysia reports some of the best reds for around twenty years, although Grape Vine Yellows (GVY) were observed through sections of chardonnay vines. Similarly the rich reds and fortified muscats and tokays from the state’s northeast simply revelled under the hot sun. Western Australia Vintages like 2000 remind you how big WA actually is. While Margaret River experienced an ideal red wine vintage with a warm start and a lingering, dry Indian summer to put the finishing touches to the ripening process, the cooler, more southerly and later parts of the Great Southern region had a forgettable time. However riesling, cabernet sauvignon and possibly shiraz from the northern extremes around Frankland River could be exceptional. Most importantly, Margaret River cabernets from 2000 should be muscular and first-rate, even from the more southerly extremes of the region. Provided the fruit was adequately shaded, its chardonnays and semillon sauvignon blanc blends should look smart as well, if fleshier than usual. Shiraz has ripened well, without the green edge usually seen in the region. Pemberton and Manjimup’s season was drier than 1999 and while the hot summer should remove the green edged from its red wines, it could be a top chardonnay vintage there. The Swan Valley received a drenching in January, producing lighter reds and crisp whites, some with botrytis.
