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2014 vintage report for Hunter Valley (New South Wales)

This year presented perfect ripening conditions in the Hunter with heavy November rains, followed by sunshine without any 40C-plus days.
Little rain throughout January and February allowed winemakers to harvest the fruit at optimum ripeness, rather than being dictated by the possibility of inclement weather.
According to the Hunter Valley Wine and Tourism Association, all Hunter varieties have been praised as some of the region’s best.
Tyrrell’s managing director Bruce Tyrrell said “my father Murray was famous for regularly declaring a ‘vintage of the century’ – well this is possibly the best of both this and last century”.
“We have already had significant enquiries from serious wine buying investors who are seeing the long term potential of the 2014 Hunter Valley crop.”
De Iuliis Wines winemaker Mike De Iuliis declared 2014 a “gentleman’s vintage”.
“If we needed a day off we were able to take it without the usual fear of rain setting in and affecting the quality of the fruit,” he said.
“I can’t remember a vintage which has been so relaxing, nor which has provided the most amazing grape quality for us to work with; as a winemaker, I will be lucky to see another vintage like 2014”.
The region’s 2014 Semillons were bottled towards the end of March, whilst the 2104 reds were serving its time maturing in oak barrels until release later in 2015.