Adelaide Hills – 2007
The 2007 vintage, surprisingly, resulted in excellent quality wines and average yields being obtained from the Adelaide Hills. The highly publicised drought of 2006 had been reported as the worst ever. Our Lenswood vineyard in the Adelaide Hills received only half its annual rainfall and was one of our driest seasons.Despite an early winter break, rainfall during winter and spring was the worst for years in the lead-up to flowering. There was no spring frost damage at Lenswood due to the steep terrain but there was a lack of subsoil moisture due to the drought which helped control yields.Brief heat waves occurred during January; otherwise it was mild and dry. At the end of January a tropical air mass connected with a cold front to bring good rains to the agricultural areas of South Australia, with flooding up north. The rainfall fell steadily over four days, coinciding with veraison, which freshened up the vine canopy to assist with ripening the fruit for harvest. February was recorded as the hottest for 100 years, bringing the harvest forward. The vintage began three to four weeks early, one of the earliest on record, remaining dry and mild allowing for good maturity. The whites were picked by March 20 and the reds by April 18, a record early finish. In summary, a warmer and drier āEden Valley-likeā vintage with good average yields and excellent quality.