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2004 vintage report for Margaret River (Western Australia)

Weather conditions at the start of the growing season were uncharacteristically cool, but then temperatures increased and the region enjoyed a wonderful year for ripening fruit. Particularly notable were the heatwaves experienced during the first two weeks of January. It was a compressed vintage as a result of some late ripening white varieties and some early ripening red. This, together with some high yields, caused logistical problems for many wineries. Crop yields in white varieties were generally higher than they have been for the past two seasons, but close to the long-term average. Yields in Semillon and Verdelho were particularly high due to good fruitset, resulting in larger bunch weights than normal. High yields in Semillon resulted in some delayed ripening and later picking for this variety in particular. Chardonnay fruit developed elegant flavours with good acid retention at low Baumes. Due to high temperatures, Sauvignon Blanc towards the northern part of the region was generally harvested early to retain some grassy/herbaceous flavours. Fruit from further south in the cooler part of the region was of high quality. Fruit quality for Semillon was variable in the northern part of the region, but was above average further south where varietal characters were more pronounced.

Some early crop thinning and heavy pruning resulted in average crop yields for the red varieties. This, together with warm weather during march and April, resulted in quick and early fruit ripening. Flavour development tended to be slightly behind the sugar ripeness in Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon, which meant fruit did not necessarily get harvested earlier than normal for these varieties. Fruit quality for Merlot was generally better than 2003, with good colour intensity and tannin ripeness. Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon were also of better than average quality, especially from the lower yielding and cooler parts of the region.