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1999 vintage report for Hunter Valley (New South Wales)

The major problem facing the Hunter Valley for the 1999 vintage was availability of storage capacity following an increase in yield of 30%, said Bruce Tyrrell, president of the Hunter Valley Vineyard Association. Yield was up due to the best winter and spring rains this decade.

Weather during vintage was mostly fine. Bruce said the growing season was cooler than last year, with only a couple of hot January days. Between 25 and 50 mm of rain fell at the end of January, with odd scattered showers and thunderstorms through February and early March. However, there was no negative impact on quality and fruit was able to fully ripen. Bruce reports high quality Semillon all over the Valley — ‘more lifted and floral than the past few years’ — and described the top Chardonnays as ‘outstanding.’

He said the reds are not quite as big as 1998 but the longer ripening period provided good flavour development. ‘They are well balanced wines with length and breadth of flavour,’ said Bruce. Philip Shaw of Rosemount Estate regards Chardonnay as the standout variety of the vintage for the Hunter Valley. ‘We had some tremendous fruit this year from the Hunter, with Chardonnay showing great elegance and yet an excellent depth of flavour,’ he said.