"Varietal definition and refined flavours will be a hallmark of the 2002 vintage" Philip Shaw - Southcorp Company Winemaker

The 2002 vintage in Australia will long be remembered for two things; firstly the cool temperatures prevalent throughout virtually the entirety of Australia and secondly the outstanding quality of the grapes harvested.

Just as the situation began to look discouraging a warm, dry autumn eventuated that, combined with the careful management of company and grower vineyards, allowed the grapes to reach ideal ripeness. Whilst yields were reduced in cooler regions, the quality of the fruit harvested was outstanding.

The continuing Southcorp yield management program was of particular benefit during the cool 2002 vintage. Premium, cool climate regions such as Coonawarra thrived, with the low yielding, mature vineyards producing grapes with a profound depth of flavour combined with elegant characters and fine tannins. Warmer regions such as the Riverland harvested fruit with an unprecedented level of quality, a direct result of the vineyard management program and vintage conditions.

Moving from region to region, the overriding theme was white wines with outstanding aromatics, depth of flavour and fine natural acidity. The red wines prove that the term "elegant" does not mean "lacking in flavour" but rather refers to wines with rich, ripe flavours and real intensity married to fine grained tannins, a refined character and balanced natural acidity.

Chardonnay is proving to be very strong with an almost perfect vintage for this variety producing wines with a profound depth of flavour married to refined aromatics, often with a mineral complexity, and a palate with elegant flavours and a fine acid backbone. Watch out for outstanding wines from a seminal Penfolds Yattarna through to the gold medal winning Lindemans Bin 65 Chardonnay.

The red varieties show an intensity of flavour coupled with an lovely elegance and fine-grained tannins. Shiraz is characterised by ripe dark berry fruit and spicy black pepper flavours with fine-grained tannins and excellent length. Cabernet Sauvignon has thrived in the cool conditions, producing a crop with a wealth of blackcurrant, bramble and cassis flavours, a refined structure and clear varietal definition. The early ripening varieties such as Pinot Noir and Merlot are positively exceptional with outstanding concentration and complexity of flavour.

"A vintage defined by the prevailing cool temperatures throughout Spring and Summer and the success of the Southcorp vineyard management program "Philip Shaw - Southcorp Company Winemaker

New South Wales

Hunter Valley

Cool temperatures, so prevalent throughout much of South Eastern Australia, were less of a defining factor in the Hunter Valley. Conditions were somewhat difficult early in the vintage with high temperatures and heavy rains around the time of veraison. These conditions quickly improved and resulted in a generally trouble free ripening period with harvest occurring right on time in early February.

Harvest was disrupted somewhat by late vintage rains. These rains however demonstrated the quality of Rosemount’s well-established vineyards, which handled the conditions with ease and resulted in a pause in harvesting for only a few days. Indeed, the Giants Creek vineyard, due to its sandy, well draining soils was almost unaffected by the rains and hand-picking was able to continue throughout this time.

Overall the vintage was very strong with excellent results. Chardonnay and the Semillon picked before the rains show great depth of flavour. In general, the wines have excellent natural acidity and are markedly more aromatic, due in no small part to the cooler nature of the season in the run up to harvest.

Rosemount’s Andrew Koerner reports that vintage quality was outstanding with the fruit from the Roxburgh and Giant’s Creek vineyards providing the highlight. The Giants Creek vineyard was exceptional with low yields and greatly increased hand-picking combining to produce a crop with distinct varietal characters and real intensity of flavour. Semillon volumes were down, however the fruit was of a very high quality, which will result in a 2002 Show Reserve Semillon with outstanding aromatics and extended ageing potential.

Mudgee

The 2002 Mudgee vintage was excellent and demonstrated the outstanding potential of this region. Following a warm and dry summer, autumn rains gave a welcome boost to the vines and providedan ideal run-in to harvest. Overall the vintage was outstanding for red wines with excellent results for both Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon.

The quality of the Rosemount vineyards was again proven with the well-maintained, low yielding vines ripening early. The Cumbandry vineyard did particularly well with the four to six year old vines reaching full maturity and producing high quality fruit for the Rosemount Diamond premium varietal and Hill of Gold ranges.

Shiraz was very aromatic, showing lots of black pepper and spice characters. The wines will combine outstanding finesse with great intensity of flavour and wonderful soft, ripe tannins. The best Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were picked early in the vintage and showed excellent varietal definition and ripe flavours. The resultant wines display a range of dark berry flavours, cassis and "Mudgee Mint".

The highlight from the vintage is destined to be the 2002 Rosemount Mountain Blue Shiraz Cabernet. Considered by Andrew Koerner as an equal of the great ‘96, this wine is already displaying intense blackberry, mint, ginger and spice flavours, a perfect balance and what is sure to be a long cellaring future.

Orange

Cool temperatures throughout spring and early summer led to slightly uneven fruit-set and bunch weight. The low temperatures continued and diligent canopy management and crop thinning was required to obtain ensure full ripeness. Whilst yields were reduced, a high quality crop was harvested with an excellent balance of ripe flavours and natural acidity.

The Chardonnay fruit was a standout, being very aromatic, with an almost spicy scent and a ripe depth of flavour. An outstanding parcel of Sauvignon Blanc was harvested and will be a valuable component in the Rosemount Diamond Varietal Sauvignon Blanc.

The red varieties have an elegant nature and show clear varietal character. High quality parcels of peppery Shiraz and a floral Merlot from the upper vineyards appear to be the highlights.

Regional NSW

The cool temperatures prevalent during the 2002 vintage suited the typically warm Cowra region. Chardonnay was a stand-out and the ripe full bodied flavours will be a valuable blending component in Rosemount Diamond Varietal and Blended Varietal wines. Parcels of deeply flavoured red varieties were also harvested which indicate the potential of this region for these varieties.

The combination of a cool vintage and its location, nestled in the foothills of the Snowy Mountains, resulted in extreme cool-climate viticultural environment for Tumbarumba in 2002. Early ripening varieties did well, with Chardonnay the highlight. These conditions are perfectly suited to super-premium sparkling wine production and a parcel of elegant Chardonnay with excellent natural acidity and great length of flavour will be an important component in Seppelt Salinger and Penfolds Yattarna.

Fruit from Gundagai and Young also showed impressive characteristics and demonstrated the potential of these regions.

Barossa Valley

There is no doubt that by late December Penfolds Winemaker John Duval was a worried man. Regular rains throughout winter resulted in good soil moisture levels and healthy vine growth, but a cool spring and summer had reduced potential yields and left the grapes in danger of not ripening. A warm, dry autumn relieved the situation and this, combined with careful vineyard management, resulted in a harvest with smaller than average yields but of excellent quality.

The well-established, low yielding company and grower vineyards ripened early, producing a crop with intense colours and elegant fruit flavours. Shiraz was outstanding and demonstrates the essential character of the 2002 vintage. As described by John Duval "The wines are ripe and intense with a real depth of flavour but have retained varietal character and show no signs of over-ripeness or jamminess".

Penfolds uniquely high access to Old Vine Barossa Shiraz vineyards will see these sites contributing, as always, a significant proportion of the base component for Grange.The long ripening period and extremely small crops resulted in fruit with a profound depth of flavour, fine tannins and amazing length. The sandy, low-yielding vineyards from which Penfolds St. Henri is partially sourced thrived in the conditions and the wine will provide an excellent expression of refined, peppery Shiraz. The Penfolds RWT Shiraz is intensely flavoured but with a more elegant character than in warmer vintages and a depth of spicy blackberry fruit and fine grained tannins.

Barossa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is outstanding, showing the expected density and richness of flavour whilst retaining focussed fruit character and gives a clear expression of the cool nature of the vintage. Grenache was also strong, boding well for the Bin 138 Shiraz Grenache Mourvedre, with well-rounded flavours, spicy aromas and polished red berry flavours.

Eden Valley

Regular winter rains ensured good soil moisture levels, which proved vital in the cool dry conditions that followed. The early ripening varieties thrived with the lack of really hot weather enabling the retainment of lifted aromatics and natural acidity.

The established, well maintained Woodbury vineyard produced a small crop of perfectly ripe fruit with lifted varietal characters, depth of flavour and excellent structure.Winemaker Oliver Crawford reports "Riesling was the highlight this year, showing intense floral characters, great length and backbone."

The Penfolds Reserve Riesling will again be a fantastic wine. The Leo Buring Eden Valley Riesling, sourced from the company’s Woodbury and High Eden vineyards, shows strong regionality with perfumed floral fruit and will provide a clear contrast to the mineral intensity of Leo Buring wines sourced from Clare Valley.

Clare Valley

The Clare Valley has long been regarded as an ideal location for super premium white and red wine production. This is despite generally high summer temperatures.

In 2002 the Clare Valley experienced the same cool summer as the majority of South Eastern Australia, which combined with generally favourable spring and autumn conditions led to an outstanding vintage.

The cool summer temperatures suited the early ripening varieties perfectly. Riesling revelled in the conditions producing a crop of intensely flavoured fruit with outstanding aromatics and excellent natural acidity.

There is no doubt that 2002 is recognised as a seminal year for Clare Valley Riesling. The Clare sub-region of Watervale provided the fruit for Leonay this year, showing delicate but intense grapefruit flavours, mineral complexity and a long acid backbone.

Some very good red wines were also made this year with Shiraz and Cabernet from the Penfolds vineyards in particular showing excellent varietal characters and soft generous fruit flavours.

Adelaide

The Penfolds Magill Estate Vineyard experienced similar conditions to those seen throughout much of South Australia. Cool spring and summer temperatures were relieved by a warm, dry August. The carefully maintained, mature Magill Estate vineyard did not suffer the yield reductions so prevalent this vintage but did ripen 2-3 weeks later than average.

Penfolds Winemaker Peter Gago reports "the cool conditions meant that flavour ripeness developed more slowly than sugar ripeness, resulting in baumes slightly higher than usual. The high alcohol levels do not indicate over-ripeness; they are a product of the vintage and are balanced by the cool vintage nature of these wines." The 2002 Penfolds Magill Estate Shiraz has lifted pepper and spice aromas, with rich underlying fruit flavours and excellent length.

Adelaide Hills

Careful vineyard maintenance and yield management were critical in the Adelaide Hills in 2002. The very cool spring and summer conditions were relieved to an extent by the long Indian summer, but there is no doubt the vintage was a challenge in cool-climate regions such as the Adelaide Hills. The low yielding, well maintained company vineyards ripened perfectly and produced a crop that whilst reduced in size was of excellent quality.

White varieties benefited from an autumn that was characterised by warm days, enabling the development of depth and ripeness of flavour and cool nights, which locked in crisp natural acidity and refined aromatics. Chardonnay is outstanding with profound depth of flavour, a fine mineral complexity and great length. Sauvignon Blanc has pronounced cool climate varietal characters and a fine acid backbone.

The enchanting but elusive Pinot Noir variety thrived in these conditions with Penfolds Winemaker Peter Gago excited by the "deep plummy fruit, complexity and savoury length" of the crop but lamenting the low yields. The Penfolds Cellar Reserve Pinot Noir will again be a wine of great quality but restricted make.

Langhorne Creek

Langhorne Creek experienced similar conditions to its neighbour, McLaren Vale, with regular rains throughout winter and an early spring providing healthy vine growth. Low temperatures and rain disrupted flowering before improving to a cool summer and a warmer than average autumn.

The increasing maturity of the vines and low yields combined to produce a crop that bears testimony to the potential of Langhorne Creek to produce fruit of the highest calibre.

Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon were both excellent with ripe flavours and clear varietal character. Rosemount Winemaker Charles Whish enthused that "the wines have a real concentration and density on the palate".

McLaren Vale

Regular rainfall throughout winter and early spring ensured good soil moisture levels and strong vineyard growth. Low temperatures and wet conditions during veraison disrupted flowering and resulted in an uneven fruit-set. However, excellent growing conditions during a cool summer before a relatively warm autumn ensured the crop reached peak ripeness. The nature of the season caused flavours to develop in the grapes later than usual, meaning that extensive flavour tasting was critical to ensure the correct time of picking. Yields overall were low with small bunches and berries.

The cool season resulted in a high quality crop that combined the traditional rich depth of flavour of McLaren Vale fruit with a refined nature and clear varietal character. According to Rosemount Winemaker Charles Whish "2002 in McLaren Vale is right up there with thegreat ‘98 vintage. The wines are more elegant but equally powerful".

The white varieties are rated as excellent with the highlight being Chardonnay, which displays strong fruit flavours and a rich mid palate.

Shiraz was a standout, showing distinct varietal clarity with a depth of ripe plummy fruit and no signs of over-ripeness. A fantastic Rosemount Balmoral will be made in 2002 and McLaren Vale Shiraz will be a key component in the Penfolds Grange and Bin 389 wines.

Charles describes Cabernet Sauvignon as "equal to the best McLaren Vale Cabernet I have ever seen", with real density of flavour and tremendous length whilst retaining varietal definition and cool season characters. Grenache is equally strong with spicy ripe varietal fruit characters and great complexity. Look out for a benchmark GSM and Traditional from Rosemount in 2002.

Riverland

It is entirely possible that the 2002 vintage will herald a new era in the respect and standing given to wines produced in the Riverland region. The unprecedented quality of the fruit grown in this region can be attributed to two factors: The first is a continuation of a vineyard management program designed to manage yields to a point that balances excellent crop levels with high quality fruit production; The second was cooler than average temperatures throughout vintage, which in the moderate conditions of the Riverland produced fruit with excellent depth of flavour, elegance and good length.

The white varieties have lifted aromatics, depth of flavour and elegant length. The gold medal awarded to the 2002 Lindemans Bin 65 Chardonnay at the Brisbane Wine provides a clear indication of the quality of fruit that typifies the well managed Riverland vineyards in 2002.

Red varieties, particularly from those growers that restricted crops, will add depth of flavour and ripe berry fruit characters to multi regional blends. Look out for the 2002 vintage of Penfolds Rawson’s Retreat Cabernet, a stunning wine with incredible depth of flavour.

Padthaway

Padthaway enjoyed an excellent start to the season with regular rainfalls and vigorous vine growth. Summer temperatures, whilst impacted by the overall coolness so characteristic of the 2002 vintage, were slightly higher than many regions. This combined with a warm, dry autumn to result in a trouble free vintage and moderately low yields.

Chardonnay is the highlight of the white varieties with lifted stone fruit aromas, a refined structure and delicate acidity. The 2002 Lindemans Padthaway Reserve Chardonnay will continue the high quality tradition of this much respected label.

Lindemans Winemaker Greg Clayfield is enthusiastic about the red wines from Padthaway, describing them as "possessing excellent varietal definition and rich flavours". Shiraz was a standout from the region, which bodes well for the 2002 Lindemans Reserve Shiraz.

Coonawarra

The spring of 2001 and the summer of 01/02 was one of the coldest in recent history with the dry, cool and occasionally windy conditions resulting in very low yields. The small crop was partially caused by climatic factors and partially by a conscious decision to reduce yields in many vineyards in Coonawarra. The decision to lower yields was fortuitous with careful canopy management and the lower yields allowing the crop to ripen perfectly and produce high quality fruit that might otherwise have proved difficult in the ‘02 conditions.

The principle white wine varieties of Chardonnay and Riesling responded well to the conditions. White wines with refined aromatics and elegant flavours were produced with Wynns Coonawarra Estate Winemaker Sue Hodder describing the 2002 Wynns Coonawarra Estate Riesling as "thebest in many years". A highlight of these wines is the fine citrus fruit combined with characteristically soft Coonawarra acid.

Reds were also elegant, reflecting the cooler year. Again the low crop levels augured well for even ripening and some excellent wines with fine structures have been made.

Sue Hodder reports that "the best Cabernet blocks were those around the winery and, whilst this year they had tiny yields, the fruit has incredible intensity. The southern vineyards are finer, with lifted fragrant violet aromas, and a couple of silky, classic cool climate Shiraz parcels have been put aside as Wynns Coonawarra Estate Michael contenders."

Lindemans winemaker Greg Clayfield believes that the cooler year was ideal for Merlot with a spicy, finely structured parcel of Merlot providing much promise to the 2002 Lindemans Pyrus. Greg also states "an excellent peppery Limestone Ridge will be produced but on a less welcome note, the Lindemans St. George Vineyard had the lowest yield on record".

Robe

As with the rest of the Limestone coast, Robe experienced a good start to the season with regular rainfall and healthy vine growth. The maritime position of Robe exposed the region to high winds during veraison that led to uneven flowering and resulted in low yields. The prevailing cool conditions of the summer season allowed for slow development of flavour and combined with low rainfall and a warm autumn to produce an excellent vintage.

Lindemans Winemaker Greg Clayfield describes the highlights as being "parcels of refined, aromatic Chardonnay with excellent length and peppery Shiraz possessing ripe berry flavours and an elegant structure"

The 2002 vintage has reinforced the outstanding potential of the Robe region to become one of Australia’s leading wine growing regions.

Great Western/Pyrenees

The 2002 vintage delivered a stark contrast to the 2001 vintage with summer going past virtually unnoticed due to cool to cold conditions evident from Spring through to May. Wet and windy weather throughout flowering resulted in one of the lowest cropping years in memory with some vineyards not harvesting a single berry. The cool temperatures delayed vintage by up to three weeks. A generally trouble free harvest conducted in warm, dry conditions in early to mid April, delivered a reward for cool climate viticulturists and winemakers - some of the best grapes ever seen from the region.

The white varieties had fresh lively acidity backed by intense flavours producing wines with perfume, elegance and great length of flavour. Seppelt winemaker Paul Lapsley reports that "highlights include an exceptionally lifted and flavoursome Sauvignon Blanc and very fine Chardonnays with excellent depth of flavour".

Red Varieties were highly expressive and indicative of their cool climate heritage, with wonderful colours, fine tannins and length of flavour. Shiraz, particularly from long established company vineyards, was a highlight showing deep colours, ripe aromatics of pepper and violets, softtannins, sweet fruit and outstanding length. Look out for Seppelt St. Peters Great Western Shiraz which shows a fine structure and intense flavours.

Yarra Valley

In late December, with temperatures in the Yarra Valley more closely resembling those of winter rather than summer, Coldstream Hills winemaker Andrew Fleming could have been forgiven for having doubts about the prospects for the vintage. Fortunately warmer temperatures in January and a late warm, dry autumn ensured that the grapes achieved optimum maturity at harvest, albeit with reduced yields. The long ripening period and cool nights during autumn resulted in intense flavour development and naturally high acidity, a hallmark for wines of ageing potential.

Unseasonably cold and wet conditions during flowering and fruit set in Spring resulted in significantly reduced yields and tiny bunches. The combination of low yields and cool temperatures during the ripening period suited the principal varieties of Coldstream Hills perfectly and Andrew Fleming reports that 2002 was an excellent year for both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Small berry size was a factor with the red varieties providing intense flavours and fine, elegant structures. Pinot Noir was definitely the highlight, with the standouts exhibiting fragrant cherry and plum flavours, with fine tannin and silky textures. A small parcel of Cabernet from the Coldstream G block is also very promising at this stage for Reserve.

The white varieties had refined characters, crisp natural acidity and an excellent depth of flavour. The Chardonnays to date are restrained, which is a characteristic of a cooler vintage. Delightful citrus and stone fruit characters are evident in most wines, with the best parcels coming from the Briarston and House Block vineyards.

Mornington Peninsula

Like most of southern Victoria, the combination of cool summer temperatures and generally challenging conditions during flowering led to extremely small crops. Vineyard management was crucial with the established, well-maintained vineyards ripening earlier. The fruit that was harvested was of very high quality with refined but intense flavours, excellent aromatics and lively natural acidity.

Seppelt winemaker Paul Lapsley reports that the "Crops were very small with only Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris harvested. But what we got was outstanding! The highlight was Pinot Noir which has a sweetness, density and texture not seen before".

Bendigo/Heathcote

Bendigo and Heathcote relatively well in 2002 due to warmer spring temperatures and a moderate, rather than cool, summer. Difficult, windy conditions hindered flowering and crop levels were lowered as a result. A warm, dry autumn allowed for crops to reach optimum ripeness and harvesting commenced two weeks later than usual in mid March.

Seppelt winemaker Paul Lapsley reports that "the highlight of the vintage was Shiraz, which has produced wines with intense colours, a complex flavour profile of dark berries and pepper, silky tannins and excellent acidity".

A small amount of Viognier was harvested from first crop vines, which bodes well for the variety in this area.

Drumborg

With little between the southern-most end post of the vineyard and the southern ocean separating Australia from Antarctica, the Drumborg vineyard was always going to find the cool 2002 vintage a challenge. The Drumborg vineyard fared better than many in the region although yields were very low. An enormous amount of work was done in the vineyard, leaf thinning and removing the secondary crop, to ensure that the fruit gained full ripeness.

Dry conditions late in the season allowed for an excellent quality crop to be hand picked in mid-April. The outstanding parcels of fruit include Pinot Noir, which is showing intense colour, perfumed aromatics and flavour. Chardonnay is also excellent showing definitive cool climate characters with very fine but intense flavours and high minerally acidity.

Rutherglen

Rutherglen experienced a fine vintage in 2002 with the quality of Brown Muscat (destined for Seppelt Rutherglen Muscat) and Muscadelle (destined for Tokay) described by Seppelt fortified winemaker James Godfrey as being well above average.

Warm spring conditions were followed by a summer made moderate rather than cool by the lower temperatures prevalent in 2002. Warm, dry autumn temperatures were ideal for fortified wine production allowing the grapes to remain on the vines late into autumn and reach the required ripeness with the extremely high Baumes necessary for top quality Muscat and Tokay.

Muscat is considered the highlight, with wonderful aromas, a profound depth of flavour and great length.

Sunraysia

Like the Riverland vineyards further down the Murray, Sunraysia enjoyed a stellar season with unprecedented quality levels. Ideal winter conditions were followed by a cool spring and summer followed a warm, dry autumn. The conditions served to preserve varietal characters and aromatics whilst ensuring ideal crop ripeness.

An ongoing vineyard management program to maintain yields at a point that delivers excellent quality was also instrumental in this result. Both dryland and irrigated vineyards produced good volumes of high quality fruit.

Both the white and red varieties will provide depth of flavour and richness to components from cooler climate regions in producing the Queen Adelaide, Lindemans Cawarra and Rosemount Blended Varietal wines.

Margaret River

After a warm winter the 2002 growing season followed the rest of Australia and was characterised by low temperatures. Windy conditions disrupted flowering and this combined with a dry start to the vintage and overall low temperatures resulting in reduced yields, however a long, dry Autumn ensured that grapes reached an optimum ripeness.

The white wine varieties are of a style representative of the cool season with a restrained, delicate nature and good intensity. Chardonnay is particularly attractive with a fine, elegant structure, lovely aromatics and wonderful texture. Parcels of Semillon destined for Devil’s Lair Fifth Leg White showed clean varietal character and a component of high quality Sauvignon Blanc from the Franklin River will add intensity to that wine.

The red varieties performed similarly to the whites, showing great colours and dense fruit flavours. The wines will be elegant, possessing an attractive array of refined varietal characters and excellent intensity. The Cabernet Sauvignon grapes achieved full ripeness and have a depth of sweet fruit flavours and clearly defined structure. The 2002 Devil’s Lair Cabernet Sauvignon will be a wine with an extremely long cellaring future.
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