2009 Vintage Report
| Tonnage processed: | 9 of Whites and 14 of Reds. |
| Fruit: | Helyars Vineyard situated on the Dudley Peninsula. |
| Position: | Slightly northerly facing slope. |
| Soil type: | Sandy loam with limestone outcrops, indicative of an underlying limestone profile. |
Kangaroo Island as an area was spared the scorching hot conditions that caused so much grape crop damage on the majority of the mainland South Australian regions. The whites did come on a little earlier than usual (a week or so), but the quality was up there, for both white and reds.
From a winemaking point of view, the milder conditions in March were a great bonus, particularly with regards to refrigeration and temperature control of the white ferments.
March 2008, we experienced a fourteen day heatwave, with night temperatures staying at 30 to 35 degrees. This year's night temperatures were 15 to 20 degrees, far easier to deal with. As a consequence the Sauvignon Blanc in particular fermented at 11-12 degrees over an extended period, giving us maximum chance of retaining the delicate aromatics so typical of the variety.
The Cabernet and Shiraz have been fermented in newly purchased 3500 litre open fermenter tanks, this has been first for us, in past years the process has been done off site - this way we have more control over the wine.
Early indications from winemaker Matt (at Boars Rock) are that we have succeeded in our objective of providing a higher quality post fermentation product being delivered to our barrels at Boars Rock (McLaren Vale).
We look forward to the end result in approximately 18 months time.
2009 Cabernet in early stages of fermentation.
PO Box 133
Penneshaw
Kangaroo Island
South Australia
Ph +61 8 8553 1378
Fax +61 8 8553 1379
Contact Page
Member :
Kangaroo Island Grapegrowers
& Winemakers Association
