2003 The drought vintage

Part 4  Western Australia

Compared to the rest of Australia, the impact of the drought on the Western Australian wine regions was minimal. However that does not mean that the vintage was without its challenges. Across the state, there are mixed reports on quality, due to unusual and unpredictable weather patterns. Broad generalisations about the quality of the 2003 vintage are difficult, and consumers will need to be astute in determining the best wines from the vintage.

The Great Southern region, encompassing the areas of Albany, Denmark, Frankland River, Mount Barker and Porongurup, experienced a challenging year. Unusual and unwanted weather twists meant that producers were unable to rest easy during the harvest. A long wet spell in February caused problems with flavour dilution, berry splitting and Baum� reduction, especially in early ripening varieties such as Chardonnay. However an unseasonably hot March meant that late ripening varieties were able to recover, thus Cabernet Sauvignon shows promise. Like many regions within Australia, yield reductions were seen and water reserves were lower than usual.

Pemberton escaped many of the ravages of the drought that the eastern states experienced. Although yields for 2003 were down, this was attributed more to poor flowering and set than water restrictions. Late summer and early autumn rains meant that water was not a limitation to the ripening process. Instead, it caused problems with respect to bunch rot, particularly for Cabernet Sauvignon. Overall, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Verdelho performed well, with the jury still out on the quality of the reds. Time will tell.

As one of the warmest wine regions in Western Australia, the Perth Hills experienced a favourable year due to the cooler than average conditions. As a consequence, natural acidity levels were higher and flavours were more defined, particularly for white varieties. In contrast to the southern regions, disease pressures were low.

Margaret River had a mixed vintage, with some wineries reporting a favourable year, whilst others were plagued by the adverse effects of humid conditions and vintage rains. The cold winter and warm summer set the vintage up for a sterling season, however rain late in the season caused berry splitting and disease. Although rain is a welcome relief in drought times, rain at the wrong time can be just as disastrous as no rain at all.

One of the reasons for the Geographe region escaping the vagaries of the drought was access to solid supplementary water supplies. However, nothing can replace a good drenching rain, so some yield reductions were seen. This aside, 2003 was a textbook year for most producers. The rain that affected the southern regions bypassed Geographe, thus disease pressures were low. Quality is good across the board, especially for Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Shiraz.

Western Australia experienced a very different vintage to that of the rest of the country, due to its exposure to completely different weather patterns. This is largely due to its west coast nature, along with the obvious distance separating Western Australian vineyards from those of the rest of Australia. Many regions had good winter and spring rains, setting the vines up for a good vintage. The positive nature of this rain should also be evident in the quality of the 2004 vintage, assuming all other growing season factors are favourable.

Despite the impact of the drought being minimal, the quality variation across the state is indicative of how destructive rain can be if received at the wrong time. Vintage rainfall is always a concern due to its impact on flavour concentration, sugar levels and disease outbreaks. Due to the variability of the vintage, there will be some disappointing wines around. However there will also be some stunners. So if you are prepared to experiment, you will be in for some pleasant and very rewarding surprises.

© Toni Paterson 2003