Vintage Report 2019
Published on August 25, 2019
About
Sarsfield Estate is a small farm in the Lakes and Wilderness area of
East Gippsland, in the South-eastern corner of Australia.
We use solar and wind energy and depend entirely on rainwater.
Our wines vary naturally as the seasons change, and it is a fascinating challenge to understand how a season is reflected in the wine it produces.
This is why we write vintage reports.
Vintage Report 2019
- Going into the growing season with dams at a low level.
Again winter was very dry and we went into the growing season with dams at a low level.
Budburst was a few days later than normal, so the vines didn’t suffer damage when a late frost hit them on 17th of September.
- exposed dam bank
Spring rainfall was well below average and the soil was too dry for the pasture to grow.
Our much reduced herd of cattle was calving but hay was difficult to obtain. We started feeding cattle pellets and hay and training the calves to both.
- New born calf, first steps
- much diminished herd of hungry cattle looking at an empty feed trough
- the calves grow quickly
It was late November when we eventually had some good rain, just in time to get on top of a bushfire which had started down the road a day earlier.
- vines starting to grow
However, the local ecosystem was obviously deeply upset.
During shoot thinning, when there are regularly bird nests everywhere, we realised that there were no small birds. No wrens, no finches, thorn-bills, spine-bills, pardalotes, no shrike-thrushes, Willie-wagtails or robins. The birdbath, usually constantly in use, remained empty all spring and summer. Instead of the usual constant twittering, chirping and peeping there was the sound of dry Eucalyptus leaves rustling in the wind and the clicking of countless grasshoppers. It may be a coincidence that green peach aphids and other insect pests thrived this year.
There were also very few bees, no moths or butterflies, none of the beautiful orb weave spiders, and no orchids. Ringtail possums and most wallabies had disappeared, and only few kangaroos were around.
- spring growth
- Unlike Wallabies Kangaroos do not eat vine leaves but are grazing between the rows.
Training the vines was easy this year. Little mowing and no trimming was required as growth was restricted by constant lack of water.
During summer most of the native understory plants in our bush area died. With temperatures hitting 46°C and strong winds 1400 grey-headed flying foxes perished from heat stress near Bairnsdale.
-
- amazing that our deep-rooted vines can still grow on minimal irrigation
Two bird species did well during this year: Ibis and Rainbow Lorikeet.
Flocks of Ibis settled on the farm and ate grasshoppers by the kilogram each. No wonder they were held sacred by the ancient Egypts who knew the devastating destruction locusts and grasshoppers do. Like our fruit trees, some defoliated completely, and our vegetable garden, devoured and destroyed.
When the grapes started to ripen we heard, for the first time ever, flying foxes in the vineyard. As they usually don’t bother the grapes we took it for another sign for just how distressed they were. But: We were glad to know that some had survived – they are an important pollinator of native plants - and we noticed little damage.
- young apple tree defoliated completely
- Ibis, very welcome predator on locusts and grasshoppers
- grasshoppers on a vineyard post
After we put the bird nets on the second survivalist bird species showed up: Rainbow Lorikeets. They took absolutely no notice of the bird nets; simply eat grapes through the mesh. As usual bees followed to feed on the damaged berries: but fortunately it was too dry for rot and mould to follow and the grapes which had not been sunburnt stayed sound.
- Rainbow Lorikeets eating grapes and other fruit
- followed by hungry bees
- bird nets were useless
- Rainbow Lorikeet on apple tree
Again bushfires burnt thousands of hectares in Gippsland - we were very lucky indeed to get away with minor smoke pollution and no damage to the grapes.
- smoke from bushfires in Gippsland, 10-3-2019, but no smoke taint in our grapes.
Vintage began as usual with Pinot noir, our earliest variety. It was picked between 27.2 and 7.3.2019, leaving out the burnt, shrivelled and lorikeet-damaged grapes. It had large bunches this year, but the desirable small berries. Acid and sugar levels were good, colour and flavours very concentrated. Yield was less than half of what we are aiming for.
Shiraz and Merlot came next with a few shrivelled berries and a few bird damaged bunches. Yield was average and quality very good.
Picking finished on 27.3.2019 with Cabernet Sauvignon of lovely flavours, great tannins and fairly good quantities.
- low yields
- but good quality
- and an early finish to vintage 2019
Overall a challenging year, but considering that the past 24 months were the driest on record for our area our vines coped very well, giving us good to excellent quality for 2019.
