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2010 vintage report for Hunter Valley (New South Wales)

Supplied by the Hunter Valley Wine Industry Association
Growing season: Despite an early budburst, and an excellent ground water profile leading into September, strong winds during spring produced uneven flowering, resulting in lower-than-expected crops of intensely flavoured fruit. Veraison proceeded as normal around Christmas, indicating an on-time or slightly early harvest. However, warm weather coupled with tiny crops lead to one of the earliest harvests in the last 20 years.
Vintage: Harvest started in earnest by mid-January with nearly all the whites being picked before Australia Day. The shorter ripening period meant that many reds measured high sugar levels whilst being behind on flavour. This came as a blessing in disguise – on 25 January rain set in, pushing back sugar levels, thus allowing for tannin and flavour ripeness to catch up. All but a handful of the region’s vineyards finished vintage by the third week in February.
Yields and quality: Semillon is the star of 2010 – aromatic and expressive wines with generous palate weight, yet still with great purity and wonderful length. Chardonnays are complex and well-balanced, while the Verdelhos show lifted varietal expression. Shiraz picked earlier in the vintage are both aromatic and elegant with the blocks picked during the breaks in the weather showing a little more depth and mid-palate weight.