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2010 vintage report for Swan Valley (Western Australia)

Supplied by the Swan Valley Regional Winemakers’ Association
Growing season: Good winter rains followed a dry June, ahead of a cool, wet start to spring with a wet, cold September. October and November were dry and fine except for heavy rain in the third week of November; that was to be the last rain until more heavy rain in a freak storm that broke the drought on 23 March. Our 2009 rainfall was close to the annual average – the first time in quite a few years. Soil moisture levels were excellent moving into vintage and generally crops were above average and disease low or non-existent. December was warm and dry; January, February and the first three weeks of March were hot and dry. Some high temperatures were experienced in late December and early January leading into vintage.
Vintage: At the point when vintage was just starting, we experienced several days of extreme heat over the Australia Day long weekend and, again, in late February and, again, in early March. As vintage progressed, fruit ripened very rapidly and some vines showed heat/water stress. The event in early March was especially debilitating for vines as we also experienced continuous, hot, gusty winds and extreme temperatures right through the night over three days. The mild spring and dry early summer had all Western Australian winemakers expecting another super year, but the extreme heat events really impacted and turned the vintage into a fast and furious one. Fruit was harvested quite quickly and early. Most of the Swan Valley had finished harvest by the major storm on 23 March.
Yields and quality: Overall, whites show bold, full flavours indicative of a warmer vintage; they generally lack perfume and delicacy. Oddly, reds show as more medium than full bodied despite there being no issues of ripeness. Flavour is good and fresh, tannins softer than usual. Overall quality is fine with attractive, earlier-drinking styles. Varieties that appear best are Verdelho and Chardonnay for whites, and Shiraz for reds. And, of course, a great year for Muscat for our fortifieds.