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2004 vintage report for Clare Valley (South Australia)

The 2004 vintage had its challenges, but the strength of the Clare Valley as a premium wine region has shone through with some excellent wines produced, including some of the best Cabernet Sauvignon seen for several years. Winemakers have also commented favourably on the quality of their Riesling, and there were some excellent parcels of Semillon and Shiraz.

Vintage started early, with a large percentage of Chardonnay and Semillon picked by the end of February. Then events slowed and, generally, it was a long vintage. Seasonal influences on vintage were more dramatic than usual. From early October to the end of vintage, Clare experienced less than half the long-term average rainfall for that period. November was warmer than average, December the hottest for some time and then January was one of the coolest on record. At the beginning of February, the Clare Valley was looking picturesque with vineyards in excellent condition and healthy canopies appearing in balance with crop levels. Then a heatwave descended on the Valley and for 16 days the average maximum temperature was 37.9°C (ranging from 34.1 to 43.1°C). The heat took its toll on vines and significant damage was incurred throughout the Valley within the first few days. The capacity of Riesling to cope with hot weather and produce wines of considerable style has been reported in previous years, and there was evidence of it happening again this vintage; the Rieslings show amazing resilience. Some loss in Riesling fruit occurred due to sunburn, however with greater attention to detail, and by hand selection, this was easily separated. Above-average Riesling yields were achieved and the wines are displaying generous, full flavours with good concentration. Cabernet Sauvignon was one of the highlights, with many winemakers reporting excellent parcels of fruit. The wines are exhibiting generosity of flavour with ripe tannin structure, good varietal character and excellent colour. Bunch stem necrosis, probably due to the heat and lack of moisture, diminished crop levels in some vineyards.