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2015 vintage report for Pemberton and Manjimup (Western Australia)

The vintage in Pemberton and Manjimup had it all this year, according to Mark Aitken, Woodgate Wines winemaker.
“What a vintage 2015 has been so far, you name it we’ve had it,” Aitken said.
Several hailstorms teamed with a devastating fire and unusual wildlife behaviour had dire consequences for some vineyards in the Frankland area.
“It started with hail storms last spring several vineyards in the Frankland area got wiped out by the hail,” Aitken said. “Then we had the Northcliffe fire, many vineyards in the Pemberton and Manjimup areas lost some or all of their fruit to smoke damage and finally if you survived all of that it has been the worst year for birds we have experienced for many years.”
Despite the circumstances, Aitken said the weather had generally been fantastic for ripening and the parcels of fruit that have survived should be great.
“Right now we are halfway through vintage, all of the whites except Viognier have been harvested, and all of the reds except Pinot noir are still waiting to come in.”
At the time of the report, Di Miller, Bellarmine Wines winemaker and operations manager, said they were halfway through harvesting.
“All the whites are in, as well as the Pinot Noir,” Miller said. “Ripening has slowed down quite a bit as the nights have cooled, which is great for flavour development.”