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1999 vintage report for Langhorne Creek (South Australia)

Greg Follett, chairman of the Langhorne Creek Winemakers Association, said a lot of new plantings had come into production this vintage. Some big wineries had fermentation capacity problems when rain caused grapes to be picked early.

Vintage started in late February for sparkling whites, continuing into early March for white varieties and mid-March for reds. Yields were down about 15% on last year, when crops were above average. Chardonnay yields were down 25% and Shiraz down 5-10%. Cabernet was variable — some crops were up, some were down, depending on fruitset. February and early March in the region were mild, followed by a wet spell in late March, causing some outbreaks of botrytis. April was mild and dry. Some Shiraz failed to reach optimum maturity due to the rain and botrytis.

Greg said overall quality of whites was very good. ‘A lot more Chardonnay was taken for sparkling this year. It showed good flavour intensity, although some acid levels were lower than usual.’ He described some older vine reds as ‘exceptional.’ Cabernet Sauvignon was excellent; some younger vine Shiraz failed to meet expectations due to rain.