2006 Vintage update

After what seemed an interminably long season, the 2006 harvest is in and we can take stock. Never before has there been such gnashing of teeth and furrowing of brows! While the fruit was on the vines, all we could think about was when will the warm weather come and will the rain hold off? If it does, will the flavours ripen and if they do will the acid and tannin be in balance? Every approaching cold front was watched with trepidation – how intense is it? How cold will it be after it passes?

One can only wonder about the confusing forces of the power of prayer in this situation. Without wanting to sound flippant, the Almighty must receive mixed signals. The Margaret River grape growers were praying for dry warm conditions while the pastoralists were demanding rain!

The upshot was that we got a bit of everything – some rain and just enough warmth. Whether this was enough for the cockies is hard to say but the grape growers were generally happy.

This, of course, meant that the character of the grumbling began to change. Originally, grape quality was a concern but when that slipped into the background the grape growers began to grizzle about quantity. Yields were down and varied between varieties but overall by around 20%.

The wash up is that 2006 looks very promising. In the whites, Semillon and Chardonnay both look excellent, with lively fruit aromas and flavours. Sauvignon Blanc is also good but perhaps slightly behind these two although we are at a loss to explain why. Our feeling is that this variety does not like much rain and we had just enough to take the edge off it. The former two seem to have taken it well in their stride.

For the reds, Cabernet Sauvignon is the highlight, with some fantastic parcels from each of the vineyards. Glenmore and Montgomery Brothers produced excellent material for the “Amy’s” while both Ribbon Vale blocks look good. At Moss Wood, the standouts, as usual, were the “Short Rows” and the “Old Block”. The former is typically rich and concentrated while the latter displays its usual luxurious softness.

Ribbon Vale Merlot has really bright dark fruit aromas and offers much promise, as does the Petit Verdot. The Cabernet Franc has lovely cherry fruit aromas but is a bit like the Sauvignon Blanc and doesn’t quite match its siblings. The most amusing wine of the vintage is the Pinot Noir, which was expected to be outstanding in such a mild year. Typical of the variety, it has found ways to be contrary, with two of the batches being really exciting, the other two less so.

While it is still very early days, the 2006 vintage promises much. The most striking feature is the fruit ripeness of the reds. We always expect the whites to be good in the mild years and this year is no exception. However, the reds can be difficult, as 1981, 1987, 1993 and 2002 can attest. This year seems to be a twin vintage for the 1990, our previous “latest ever vintage” and one of our greats. Median harvest date on Cabernet Sauvignon in that year was 12th April compared with 19th April this year. Average ripeness for the variety was 12.8° Baume in 1990 compared with 13.0° Baume in 2006, so there are similarities. This year was slightly later but ever so slightly riper. The comparison holds well when tasting the 2006 and its ripe flavours and tannins, not normally associated with the cooler years, give us real reason for optimism.