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1999 vintage report for Mornington Peninsula (Victoria)

David Leslie, president of the Mornington Peninsula Vignerons’ Association, said 1999 had been a challenging season for the region. ‘In summary, after a difficult and anxiety-provoking season, Mornington Peninsula wineries have produced very promising wines but the quantities are disappointingly low,’ he said. Spring was cool and particularly windy with sporadic hailstorms, resulting in relatively poor fruitset for the early flowering varieties (Chardonnay and Pinot Noir). ‘Greater than normal summer rainfall and unusually warm, humid conditions immediately after veraison caused some concern about disease but fortunately this weather abated and the disease pressure eased,’ David said. ‘A mild sunny autumn ripened the crop well.’ Harvest occurred earlier than usual by a week or two, starting in mid March in the lower vineyards. This is likely to have been the result of the lower yields which were in general less than half of the optimum level. David said the white wines are showing the characteristic fruit-driven flavours of the area with all varieties achieving good levels of ripeness while maintaining high titratable acidity. ‘The reds are tasting well from the barrels with Pinot Noir showing good colour and flavour development,’ he said. ‘Those wineries making Cabernet and Shiraz report good intensity with the wines demonstrating the best features of cool climate grapes.’ He said as a result of the generally low yields, labour and winery capacities coped easily with the harvest and vinification, in stark contrast with that of the bumper 1998 vintage.