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2005 vintage report for Coonawarra (South Australia)

Coonawarra vignerons are pleased to report that 2005 was a very good vintage with warm dry conditions during March and April concluding the favourable conditions experienced throughout the growing season.
The early start to vintage delivered some terrific flavours in the white varieties and this trend was maintained for the red wines with all varieties considered as very good to exceptional.
The 2005 vintage will be remembered as comparatively compact with average to slightly below average yields and warm dry conditions throughout, making for trouble-free harvest management.
The early vintage can be traced back to the start of the season with early budburst and excellent shoot growth resulting from a wet winter and fine spring conditions. Flowering was also a little earlier and the weather was favourable for the most part but cooler conditions towards the end of flowering did inhibit fruit set in some vineyards.
Late spring and summer can at best be described as normal, with mild conditions experienced throughout the growing season but with a noticeable absence of periods of hot weather. This, along with the very dry summer and autumn, provided for a near ideal season in which the vines were comfortably able to ripen their fruit.
Chardonnay, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc all benefited from the mild summer and the majority of fruit was picked with high acid, lovely mineral elements and slightly austere fruit characters.
Winemakers are particularly pleased with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, all of which have good varietal characteristics and structure with a rich ripe flavour profile and generous ripe tannins, albeit with higher alcohols than normally expected. Shiraz also enjoyed the warm dry autumn conditions allowing winemakers to pursue fruit characters in the riper spectrum with generous flavours and structure.