Aussie winemakers celebrate best vintage in a century

Taylors managing director Mitchell Taylor has declared the 2018 vintage to be the most exceptional he's ever seen.

“When it comes to the reds - Cabernet, Merlot & Shiraz - at this early stage, the colours and flavour concentrations in the young reds are the best we have seen in a long time and the general consensus is that it’s looking like one of the best red vintages of the past decade; for Shiraz in particular, possibly the past century,” he said.

"In terms of the whites - Chardonnay and Riesling - the generally cool season leading up to harvest has brought about lower alcohol levels and at the same time, lower yields delivering highly aromatic wines with very pure and distinct varietal characters. It’s one of those terrific ‘win-win’ situations."

Taylors believes that it will be “a five-star vintage that will rival some of the best wines [we] have ever produced”.

Cooler and drier conditions were experienced in the run-up to the 2018 harvest, providing a long, slow ripening period with little disease pressure. Rainfall was also below average, with small quantities falling little and often, helping to maintain soil moisture levels. The winery was able to draw on its water reserves during a brief period of hot weather prior to veraison.

Great Southern & Margaret River also celebrating 

According to Howard Park owner Jeff Burch, both the Great Southern and Margaret River wine regions of Western Australia have delivered beautiful growing seasons.

He said Howard Park’s 2018 vintage will be remembered as one of high yields and exceptional fruit. 

"There were positives across all grape varieties including some extraordinary Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon fruit," he noted. "This is a vintage that wine makers will talk about and will be one for consumers to look out for in coming years."

Burch discussed the factors that contributed to the fruitfulness of this year’s vintage, commenting: "Mild and consistent weather in both regions encouraged optimum ripening conditions for the fruit, leading to higher bunch weights and more volume per wine."

Winemaker Janice McDonald added: "As the wines evolve over the months and years ahead, 2018 will be heralded as one of the great, Great Southern Vintages."

It will be later on in the year that the first of the 2018 wines will be available to taste, with the whites being the first to be released. 

Burch is excited to taste the final results: "I cannot decide whether I prefer the Great Southern or Margaret River Chardonnay this vintage, the fruit was superb and I will enjoy tasting the different parcels as they develop."