2009 HARVEST REPORT - WALKER BAY - SOUTH AFRICA

26 April 2009

Planet Wine

2009 HARVEST REPORT

WEATHER CONDITIONS (AND CONSEQUENCES):

WINTER 2008

Typically late start to the winter with a dry and warmish month of May. Winter eventually set in well with ample cold units in June – August and ample rains of over 100mm/month. Consistent minimum temperatures of under 10ºC quite rare for our temperate climate so close to the ocean. Good dormancy period (as with previous 2 seasons), especially for guyot pruned vines that can easily bud under warm winter spikes.

SPRING 2008

September may basically be regarded as an extra winter month, with an average temperature colder all the previous winter months. Early varieties such as Pinot Noir and Chardonnay budded up to 3 weeks late. Later varieties such as Syrah were about a week late but were interrupted by cold spells that caused some uneven budding. The rest of Spring saw relatively mild temperatures, slower growth, than previous seasons, and regular rains that supplemented irrigation.

NOVEMBER 2008 - JANUARY 2009

Quite mild and temperate with only 2 days in the whole period that peaked just over 30ºC. Perfect actually for Pinot and Chardonnay and their flavour development. Syrah, still quite uneven, required much canopy management and cropping to regulate the ripening. Massive rains between 11-13 November (250mm) were quite constant and did not shower, so the soils managed without any erosion but took up to 10 days to dry out. Luckily we experienced no mildew problems.

HARVEST 2009

January was perfectly temperate, cool days and lengthened ripening. The last 10 days of February saw more extreme temperatures and heat waves. This narrowed the harvesting window considerably for the earlier varieties, such as Pinot which was eventually only about a week later than usual. Luckily there was no rain to complicate the conditions. Later varieties (Syrah) lagged after the heat waves which resulted in lower than expected acids.

HARVEST 2009:

CHALLENGES (IN VINEYARD AND CELLAR)

Basically all the vineyards were inconsistent with usual patterns when it came to harvesting. Knowing when to pick the Pinot was extremely critical during the heat waves. The season all the way to mid February was absolutely perfect for flavour and acid development, however if left 2-3 days later would destroy everything accumulated during the whole season. Not much of a challenge, but interesting to note that natural yeast populations were higher in the early varieties (faster fermentations) than the later ones.

POSITIVES

95% of the season was cool, temperate, disease-free, and ample rain for irrigation. Fresh expressive flavours, moderate alcohols, good natural acidities on early varieties. Good structure on all red wines, better than ’07 and ’08.

BEST-PERFORMING WHITE AND RED VARIETIES

Chardonnay (Sauvignons also good, better than ’08)

Pinot Noir

LESS WELL-PERFORMING WHITE AND RED VARIETIES

Only complaint is natural acidity on Syrah. Expected better than the past 3 seasons, but resulted with the same levels.

CROP SIZE - OVERALL AND VARIETIES WITH SIGNIFICANT LOWER OR HIGHER YIELDS

Chardonnay – lower than average

Pinot Noir – average, down in few vineyards

Sauvignon – down

Syrah - average

OVERALL QUALITY (WHITES AND REDS)

Whites – Best vintage of the last 3.

Reds – Could be 1 in 10 vintage for Pinot. Solid vintage for Syrah.

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