2010 Vintage Report
Vintage 2010 – The Perfect Trifecta!
Mother Nature certainly smiled on us all at Rymill Coonawarra this year. The 2009-2010 season really echoed the ‘best of Bordeaux’ weather conditions. Michael Gruetzner, our vineyard manager, reports that we received regular rainfall, followed by breezes which kept disease pressures at bay, and also gave us the luxury of being able to pick fruit at its optimum balance between rich, ripe fruit flavours, sugar levels, and natural acidity. The perfect trifecta! The hard work and dedication of our vineyard team in soil care, pruning and canopy management has certainly paid off this vintage.
We seem to be developing a custom of starting vintage on a celebratory note at Rymill Coonawarra. Our Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes that form the base of our sparkling wine were the earliest to ripen, and demonstrated the perfect fruitiness and zest by mid-February this year.
Our 2010 Sauvignon Blanc revealed passionfruit and grassy flavours, with great structure being provided by balanced fruit vibrancy and natural acidity, giving a classic palate.
We took a bit of a gamble on our Shiraz this year. The forecast over the March long weekend was for 20 to 40mm of rainfall – potentially enough to severely affect our crop. We held our nerve, and the clouds came and went bringing only 5mm of rain with them. It was perfect to be able to delay picking for one more week, which gave the Shiraz grapes time to reach their full potential. Delightful fruitiness and spice, and a firm and powerful tannic structure have been the dominant themes, and bode well for a very promising vintage.
The Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards were blessed by notably uniform ripening which resulted in a beautiful blend of rich and creamy flavours. This even ripening and favourable weather during March and April allowed us once again the luxury of harvesting when the berries were at their best. It has been possible to keep grapes from the different parcels in separate tanks ensuring the very best potential in each.
