A Summary of Past Vintages
2019 EXCELLENT/EXTRAORDINARY
- "It’s a hat-trick, 2019 is the third of three consecutive warm and dry vintages, which has given us beautifully clean and ripe fruit; both whites and reds.” – Andrew ‘Thommo’ Thomas. Semillon is in the classical Hunter style with reduced alcohols, purity and elegance; drinkable now and cellar-able for decades or beyond. The Shiraz are looking outstanding, with good intensity of fruit flavour and fine tannin structures, they will make for an exciting release in 2021.
2018 EXCELLENT/EXTRAORDINARY
- A charmed vintage with warm yet optimal conditions. Pure and varietal Semillons with excellent aging potential and although still in the cellar, the Shiraz are also looking exceptional and will be highly anticipated upon release.
2017 EXCELLENT
- An exciting vintage. Hot and dry throughout the growing season, a couple of heat spikes but the fruit ripened evenly and clean. The Shiraz have excellent flavour concentration looking more on the fuller side of medium body for which the Valley is renowned. The Semillons are ripe, balanced and will age beautifully.
2016 GOOD
- Heavy January rain made for an onerous harvest, fortuitously a very dry February saved the vintage.
2015 EXCELLENT
- Challenging season with some January rain but pristine semillons and elegant reds produced.
2014 EXTRAORDINARY
- Warm and dry throughout, tempered by cool evening breezes. Generous but precise Semillon and concentrated, beautifully structured shiraz. Perfect conditions resulting in a 'once or twice' in a generation red wine vintage. Arguably the best since the legendary 1965 vintage.
2013 OUTSTANDING
- Good spring rain, a relatively warm summer with a couple of late vintage downpours. An exceptional vintage for semillon, and very good shiraz.
2012 GOOD
- Very cool growing season with some relatively challenging summer rainfall. A difficult ripening year, particularly for shiraz.
2011 EXCELLENT
- The Hunter largely missed the unstable weather that hampered the rest of Australia. Relatively ripe juicy semillon and beautifully structured shiraz.
2010 EXCELLENT
- Warm dry conditions led to a low cropping, early ripening vintage. Earlier drinking semillon and nicely balanced shiraz.
2009 EXCELLENT
- Above average spring rainfall led to higher yields. Riper semillon year and perfectly structured, long living shiraz.
2008 BELOW AVERAGE
- Cool ripening season combined with above average rainfall made for a challenging vintage, producing relatively lean semillon. Disastrous for shiraz.
2007 EXCELLENT
- Generally warm and dry conditions prevailed. Low yielding vintage. Fine semillon and relatively ripe and juicy shiraz.
2006 OUTSTANDING
- Relatively warm and dry, leading to a great classically styled vintage for both semillon and shiraz.
2005 EXCELLENT
- Quite a hot and dry season leading to very low yields. A compressed vintage producing quite concentrated wines for the long haul.
2004 OUTSTANDING
- A nicely even season with reasonably warm conditions and average rainfall producing well balanced wines. Both semillon and shiraz performed well.
2003 EXCELLENT
- A nicely even season with reasonably warm conditions and average rainfall producing well balanced wines. Both semillon and shiraz performed well.
2002 EXCELLENT
- Warm growing season followed by some wet vintage conditions. The best semillons were picked before the rain. Elegantly styled shiraz.
2001 EXCELLENT WHITES/AVERAGE REDS
- Quite hot early in vintage followed by intermittent rains. Excellent semillon but challenging for shiraz.
2000 EXCELLENT
- Relatively mild growing season, and then some very hot early vintage conditions. Excellent natural acidity and balance.
1999 EXCELLENT
- Beautiful, stable weather made for a long growing season. Outstanding lifted, fragrant semillons and elegant Shiraz.
1998 EXTRAORDINARY
- Near perfect conditions led to this outstanding vintage. Elegant fine semillons and concentrated rich shiraz.
1997 EXCELLENT
- A warm growing season followed by wet vintage conditions towards the end of the harvest. Classic semillons and stylish shiraz.