Winter/spring rainfall were well below the long term average for the region (down 105mls or 31% for the period). Dry & mild conditions experienced through Sept/Oct/Nov, allowed for favourable flowering & minimal disease pressure. Some unfortunate late frost events in late Oct & early Nov caused some significant frost damage & crop loss in particular valleys across the region. Plus summer hail storms also caused damage & crop loss to a small number of growers.
Dec & Jan followed similar patterns, mainly very dry & well below average rainfall (down 95mls or 72% for the long term average of those two months). Many days with strong winds. Some hot days, but nights remained reasonably cool until mid/late Jan and Feb, with max. average temperatures for Jan / Feb about 2C above the average but min. temperatures about 2C below resulting in a refreshing 19.2C diurnal temperature range across the growing season, allowing full fruit ripeness while retaining acid and varietal characters.
Late Jan whole region experienced 3 to 4 days of very high heat & warmer than average nights, which really accelerated ripening particularly in the earlier ripening white varieties & brought on the start of vintage to late Jan, rather than the normal Feb start to harvest.
67mm rain recorded during harvest. Thus minimal interruptions during the harvest period due to rain events.
Vintage was quite compact at the start of the season due to the heat, with the pressure easing as we moved into the red varieties by late Feb & early March. Most varieties performed well, with fruit produced of high quality, minimal disease, ripe fruit flavours, excellent colour.