A good-sized crop and a really good quality vintage! What a lovely harvest. After the very limited production in 2019 and 2020 we were delighted with the size and quality of 2021. The seasonal outlook swung to La Nina conditions coming into the growing period, and this was just what was needed for the vines to recover from the dry preceding years. Fortunately, the La Nina was not too strong but just strong enough to moderate temperatures and increase rainfall allowing for healthy vine and crop development. We became concerned around flowering when the temperatures suddenly increased, November recording 13 days over 30 degrees but things soon returned to normal, and the summer was mild and the rest of the season right through the harvest was ideal. The result was good quantities of lovely looking grapes from all of our vineyards. Nothing like record yields but a little above average for most blocks and the best crop we’d seen for a while! Thanks to the near ideal weather, the grapes were in very good condition throughout and the pace of the work in the vineyard and the cellars was back to the good old days. Picking began with our little one-acre Almond Block Shiraz in McLaren Vale on 24 February and concluded with the Main Road Block Cabernet at Langhorne Creek on 9 April. Rae’s cousin Michael came to join us for a while during harvest to lend a hand. He was on his way around Australia before heading to New Zealand. It was great to have his help in this bigger vintage. There were a series of Shiraz vats for Twelve Bells lined up in one area of the cellar which became Michael’s to look after during ferment and I remember him diligently working around the cap management three times every day. He always carried a smile. Michael left for the west on 26 April, and we fortified the VP and pressed the last Cabernet vats off a few days after that. By the time I put these wines into barrel the cellar was pretty full and we were tired. I’d forgotten how much work is required to bring in a decent crop! The wines are looking very good. The 2021 Rosé you’ve already tasted and probably drunk by now. It was soft and had a great freshness of fruit flavour. It was I think an excellent year for the Rosé, and it offers a clue to the character of the reds. They are quite striking, pretty wines in their fresh fruit aromas. They also show very good balance, with graceful length of flavour. They are not as concentrated as the 2019s or 2020s, but they have the advantage of offering very attractive drinking without the need to wait too long. In terms of similar vintages, they remind me of the 2004s, or more recently the 2016s with their fresh elegant style. I am very happy with these wines, and we have great pleasure in offering them to you. Drew and Rae.
© 2021 Noon Winery
A good-sized crop and a really good quality vintage! What a lovely harvest. After the very limited production in 2019 and 2020 we were delighted with the size and quality of 2021. The seasonal outlook swung to La Nina conditions coming into the growing period, and this was just what was needed for the vines to recover from the dry preceding years. Fortunately, the La Nina was not too strong but just strong enough to moderate temperatures and increase rainfall allowing for healthy vine and crop development. We became concerned around flowering when the temperatures suddenly increased, November recording 13 days over 30 degrees but things soon returned to normal, and the summer was mild and the rest of the season right through the harvest was ideal. The result was good quantities of lovely looking grapes from all of our vineyards. Nothing like record yields but a little above average for most blocks and the best crop we’d seen for a while! Thanks to the near ideal weather, the grapes were in very good condition throughout and the pace of the work in the vineyard and the cellars was back to the good old days. Picking began with our little one-acre Almond Block Shiraz in McLaren Vale on 24 February and concluded with the Main Road Block Cabernet at Langhorne Creek on 9 April. Rae’s cousin Michael came to join us for a while during harvest to lend a hand. He was on his way around Australia before heading to New Zealand. It was great to have his help in this bigger vintage. There were a series of Shiraz vats for Twelve Bells lined up in one area of the cellar which became Michael’s to look after during ferment and I remember him diligently working around the cap management three times every day. He always carried a smile. Michael left for the west on 26 April, and we fortified the VP and pressed the last Cabernet vats off a few days after that. By the time I put these wines into barrel the cellar was pretty full and we were tired. I’d forgotten how much work is required to bring in a decent crop! The wines are looking very good. The 2021 Rosé you’ve already tasted and probably drunk by now. It was soft and had a great freshness of fruit flavour. It was I think an excellent year for the Rosé, and it offers a clue to the character of the reds. They are quite striking, pretty wines in their fresh fruit aromas. They also show very good balance, with graceful length of flavour. They are not as concentrated as the 2019s or 2020s, but they have the advantage of offering very attractive drinking without the need to wait too long. In terms of similar vintages, they remind me of the 2004s, or more recently the 2016s with their fresh elegant style. I am very happy with these wines, and we have great pleasure in offering them to you. Drew and Rae.
A good-sized crop and a really good quality vintage! What a lovely harvest. After the very limited production in 2019 and 2020 we were delighted with the size and quality of 2021. The seasonal outlook swung to La Nina conditions coming into the growing period, and this was just what was needed for the vines to recover from the dry preceding years. Fortunately, the La Nina was not too strong but just strong enough to moderate temperatures and increase rainfall allowing for healthy vine and crop development. We became concerned around flowering when the temperatures suddenly increased, November recording 13 days over 30 degrees but things soon returned to normal, and the summer was mild and the rest of the season right through the harvest was ideal. The result was good quantities of lovely looking grapes from all of our vineyards. Nothing like record yields but a little above average for most blocks and the best crop we’d seen for a while! Thanks to the near ideal weather, the grapes were in very good condition throughout and the pace of the work in the vineyard and the cellars was back to the good old days. Picking began with our little one-acre Almond Block Shiraz in McLaren Vale on 24 February and concluded with the Main Road Block Cabernet at Langhorne Creek on 9 April. Rae’s cousin Michael came to join us for a while during harvest to lend a hand. He was on his way around Australia before heading to New Zealand. It was great to have his help in this bigger vintage. There were a series of Shiraz vats for Twelve Bells lined up in one area of the cellar which became Michael’s to look after during ferment and I remember him diligently working around the cap management three times every day. He always carried a smile. Michael left for the west on 26 April, and we fortified the VP and pressed the last Cabernet vats off a few days after that. By the time I put these wines into barrel the cellar was pretty full and we were tired. I’d forgotten how much work is required to bring in a decent crop! The wines are looking very good. The 2021 Rosé you’ve already tasted and probably drunk by now. It was soft and had a great freshness of fruit flavour. It was I think an excellent year for the Rosé, and it offers a clue to the character of the reds. They are quite striking, pretty wines in their fresh fruit aromas. They also show very good balance, with graceful length of flavour. They are not as concentrated as the 2019s or 2020s, but they have the advantage of offering very attractive drinking without the need to wait too long. In terms of similar vintages, they remind me of the 2004s, or more recently the 2016s with their fresh elegant style. I am very happy with these wines, and we have great pleasure in offering them to you. Drew and Rae.