2011 Eden Hall Vintage Report

The 2011 vintage was challenging on many levels, starting with a wetter than average winter and the coldest for 13 years. The drought was broken across the country with floods in the eastern states, cyclonic monsoonal activity in the north promoting unseasonal rains across the south and Summer was generally mild. Rain, high humidity and mild temperatures continued through March, making it one of the wettest in nearly 30 years. While this affected ripening it allowed for early flavour development and maintained excellent levels of acidity. The humid, wet conditions encouraged the growth of botrytis, making hand-selected fruit essential. Despite the difficult conditions, the flavours in the Avon Brae vineyard white wines, in particular Riesling, were striking. We managed to rescue a parcel of quality Cabernet that will meet the Eden Hall requirements and have processed a small parcel of Shiraz co-fermented with Viognier that may see a departure in style from previous vintages – think Côte-Rôtie and dream of the Rhône … while it may be a smaller vintage for us we have maintained our high quality rating.