2009 VINTAGE REPORT
With vintage now well and truly finished and I have had time to reflect, I would deem that 2009 was a fantastic season overall and am excited about the resultant wines.
Winter and spring 2008 again received an average level of rainfall, but with careful soil moisture management over the season the majority of our vineyards excelled over the 08/09 growing season.
Apart from a week of hot weather during late January / early February and some rain in late April, across the six regions that Two Hands sources their fruit from, it was a near perfect season.
Yields were down in some vineyards, but flavours and structure were excellent. In 2009, all varieties performed very well, with all regions showing strong results. There were many stand outs of the vintage, but two especially deserve a mention.
Firstly, Riesling and Shiraz from the Clare Valley were exceptional and secondly, Cabernet sauvignon from both the Barossa and McLaren Vale show excellent promise. Overall, I am looking very much forward to 2009 vintage barrel trials in late October.
Langhorne Creek
After intermittent rain through the beginning of winter, August received excellent rains leading into the 2008/09 growing season. Some follow up spring rains would have been desirable, especially at flowering, but unfortunately this period leading into summer was dry and mild. Thankfully our grower’s block is on the Bremer River and has the ability to flood his vineyards during winter when the river was flowing.
January was dry, but thankfully mild and did not create too much pressure, until the last few days leading into February when the region experienced 5 days over 40oC and up to 46. Images of 2008’s heat wave flashed before everyone’s eyes, but it was short lived and the remainder of the season could be described as a mild Indian summer. These conditions, which were even and civilised, along with careful irrigation management, allowed the Shiraz to ripen slowly with good flavours and intensity.
McLaren Vale
July and August 2008 experienced steady, yet average rainfall that led into some subtle rainfall and mild weather through to December. After two dry years, supplementary irrigation was required in many of the vineyards in McLaren Vale. Many of the vineyards are serviced by the Christies Beach reclaimed water scheme and McLaren Vale is looking to become self sufficient and therefore sustainable from a water supply perspective overtime.
January was very dry with a mean temperature of 30oC, including 5 days over 40oC at the end of the month. Yields were down and thankfully this excessive heat was short lived and although fruit losses existed, they were localised with some blocks suffering more than others and overall the results not as devastating as they may have been. As a result of the reduced yields, Two Hands had to source extra fruit and was able to pick up some exceptional blocks of Shiraz and Cabernet sauvignon. After this heat, the balance of the season was dry, but thankfully mild and flavour development was slow and even at low sugar level. The overall quality of fruit in 2009 was excellent.
Padthaway
Following a cool and moderately wet 2008 winter with steady precipitation, spring brought some mild weather through to December which was surprisingly wet with over 4” of rain for the month. This rain was very well received and set the vineyards up well for the balance of the growing season ahead.
Like many of the regions in South Australia, Padthaway experienced a mild January until the last few days when the mercury rose well over 40 for a few days. Thankfully it was short lived and the devastation that was seen in 2008 in the March heat wave was not repeated. After this heat the weather returned to a pattern of mild temperatures resulting in a wonderful Indian summer. Shiraz was harvested in excellent condition with outstanding flavour and structure.
Heathcote
Winter around Heathcote was cool with moderate rainfall. The spring months saw some beautiful day time temperatures and cool nights resulting in a good start to the 2008/09 season. December, although mild, received some much needed rain to help the vines through the season. Although irrigation water is available, there is nothing like a good downpour from the heavens to help the vineyard.
Like most of the southeastern part of Australia, the majority of January was dry, yet mild, until the last few days and into the beginning of February when the weather as extreme with high temperatures and strong winds. Vintage 2009 will be remembered for the wrong reasons. As the bush fires intensified, the whole of Australia and the world watched the tragedy unfold. We will always remember those who lost property and family. The extreme weather left as fast as it came, resulting in a mild February and March. Although some fruit was lost to the heat, the remaining fruit ripened evenly with excellent flavour.
Barossa
After a cool, reasonably dry winter, September 2008 was relatively warm and dry which gave the vines a good boost in the early weeks of growth. Unfortunately in some respects, the dry, warm conditions continued through spring and the low soil moisture levels were put pressure on irrigation earlier than hoped. Thankfully November and particularly December brought some greatly needed rains (over 100mm or 4”) and vintage was shaping up to be a cracker.
This moisture was not followed and the good that the late 2008 rains brought was undone by a hot dry January, with an average daytime temperature of 32.1oC and 5 days over 40 at the end of the month. With careful irrigation management, the majority of the Valley’s vineyards survived with only some leaf and crop loss.
Thankfully the heat was short lived and the weather in February, March and most of April was near perfect for ripening. The overall quality of the 2009 vintage in the Barossa Valley is exceptional. Some late rains in April caused some hindrance to the ripening of the last Grenache and Mataro.
Clare Valley
The cool and moderately wet winter of 2008 led into a warm spring that contributed to an excellent start to the season. November was mild with some light showers which turned to some heavy falls in December, which turned out to be a saviour as at the end of January and the beginning of February, the Clare Valley didn’t escape the extreme heat that much of Southern Australia also experienced.
Some vineyards received varying levels of damage, mainly in the form of sunburn and leaf loss, but thankfully Two Hands’ Riesling and Shiraz blocks survived very well. Like most of the State, the weather after this heat was near perfect through to April and the Riesling and Shiraz came into the winery in excellent condition with incredible flavour and structure. Possibly the best for the decade.
Matt Wenk - Winemaker