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2001 vintage report for Clare Valley (South Australia)

Vintage 2001 in the Clare Valley has been very positive, reports Andrew Hardy, chairman of Clare Valley Winemakers Inc. Yields were well up on last year and for the most part about average. Riesling and Shiraz were the highlights with very high quality wines appearing. ‘There have also been many reports of very high quality Cabernet Sauvignon and Semillon,’ Andrew said. For most wineries vintage started quite early with a considerable amount of fruit picked by the end of February. For many it was a long and extended vintage that was quite frenetic in the early to middle stages. ‘It was a year of low acid and higher than normal pH but achieving the desired wine analysis was generally not difficult,’ Andrew said. Despite the intense and extended periods of heat in January and February most vineyards coped very well, due in the main part to excellent winter and spring rains and good irrigation management later in the season. Good early spring growth led to canopies that provided some protection later in the season. It was an unusual vintage regarding the timing of ripening and the order in which varieties ripened. There was some very early Riesling and later Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon ripened at the same time, causing logistical problems in some wineries. Andrew said Riesling has been a highlight in spite of the harsh pre-vintage weather conditions. ‘Winemakers have commented about good fruit intensity, fine structure, excellent varietal character, good flavours at low Baume levels and of the wines being quite aromatic,’ he said. ‘The apparent paradox of high quality Riesling in a year of far less than ideal weather conditions has been the subject of many conversations in the Clare Valley recently.’ Riesling vines showed considerable resilience in coping with the intense heat. There was very little sunburn and many vineyards retained good canopies through to picking. Vineyards using vertical shoot positioning canopy management fared well. It was also a very good year for red varieties. The wines are showing deep colour, intense rich flavours, good structure and mature ripe tannins. High Baume levels have led to high alcohol wines; excellent Shiraz with very good and diverse varietal character has been a feature. Although some variation in quality has been noted about Cabernet Sauvignon, the majority of winemakers reported well-structured wines, some referring to outstanding parcels showing intense flavours and clarity of varietal character. A number of people also said this had been a good year for Merlot.