Vintage Report
Thursday,
April 20, 2006 | Vintage Report
The 2006 Vintage in Mildura Victoria (GI: Murray Darling- Vic), has been idealic yet again. The weather has again supplied great ripening conditions for the grapes this year. Even with a HOT January, mean temperature of 36.4oC – preceeding months February and March were slightly cooler allowing better conditions for the final stages of ripening.
Farrell Estate Wines was able to hand pick its fruit, therefore selecting only the best quality fruit for the wines that make it to your family's table.
First crush was 7th February, with our first crop from “3 acre” Chardonnay vineyard being harvested. Something we have been waiting for, for three years! The fruit was excellent with harvest taking place when flavour was at its optimum. Chardonnay harvested this year was all of free run portion has been used to produce two wines in our range. The Vineyard Collection 3 acre unwooded Chardonnay and the Circle of Friends Wooded Chardonnay. Vintage continued with the first reds Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Merlot being harvested on the 5th March and concluded with Shiraz harvest on the 29th March.
Farrell Estate Wines total production was up dramatically on 2005; with 12.3 tonnes being processed; 2.7 tonnes of Chardonnay, 5.8 tonnes Cabernet Sauvignon, 2.7 tonnes Merlot and 1.1 tonnes of Shiraz.
As I type this the nights are cooling down quite dramatically to 8 degrees Celcius or below, however our days are quite mild with today being 20 degrees Celcius and the exciting news is all our wines have finished malo lactic fermentation and are happily racked for maturation. What an easy vintage!!.
Looking at the wine today, the quality is remains high. The unwooded chardonnay is showing delicate fruit flavours with a fresh crisp finish. The wooded chardonnay is showing more complex flavours as a result of completing fermentation in AP Johns oak barrels. The reds are also of high quality with divine colour and delicious flavours.
I am also happy to announce our 2006 unwooded Chardonnay will be released in June 2006 followed by the wooded Chardonnay in September 2006. If you would like more information or tasting notes on any of the 2006 wines please do not hesitate to contact myself – I will be happy to help out – or if you are in the area and would like to sample our wines please get in contact.
View 2006 Vintage gallery
2006 
