2005 Vintage Report
By John Simes, Winemaker
2005 Vintage Report
By John Simes, Winemaker
At Mission Hill Family Estate 2005 will be remembered for high quality. It will also be remembered for low crop levels, perhaps as much as a third lower than normal. A large part of the increase in quality and lower yields was planned and due to the continued fine-tuning of our vineyards. But the lower yields were exaggerated by the effects of a frigid winter and cool wet spring.
The fine-tuning in the vineyards began with aggressive pruning in spring so that fewer buds would result in lower yields with more concentrated flavours. We knew this would reduce yields substantially but were willing to live with a decrease in quantity to come ever closer to our goal, to fulfill this wonderful valley's potential of producing world class wines.
But then nature intervened. For the second year in a row, it was extremely cold in early January with temperatures below -20°C in most vineyards and reaching as low as 17°C. Thankfully our vines were in full dormancy and survived with minor frost damage. April and May temperatures were fairly constant at a couple of degrees above normal so that frost was not a significant concern and the vines were in good shape. Budburst occurred several days ahead of normal, with less rain than normal. But the weather turned cool and wet in June, with average temperatures about 1°C colder than normal and with a little more rainfall than usual. These conditions had a significant impact on bloom in all our vineyards and on all varieties, resulting in very small set that further diminished yields but, again, concentrated flavours.
Temperatures from summer through fall were about long-term average but cooler than the past two years in the Okanagan. To maximize flavour potential under these conditions, we opened up canopies where necessary to expose the grapes to more sunlight so that fruit flavour and tannins would fully ripen. Added to our initial lower target levels in premium blocks, this ensured that our grapes achieved very good maturity, with 26 Brix quite common in our premium Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards, Black Sage, Oliver, and Osoyoos. Harvest began on a few of our lowest yielding vineyards in the middle of September and finished the first week of November, our normal seven-week period. Indications to date show wines of really good quality, our white wines with good acid balance and flavour profiles and our reds with excellent tannin structure and colour. So while this year's wines will be severely limited, we think we can celebrate the quality of our wines from the 2005 vintage.
