New Releases from Australia

The 2004 harvest was the largest to date; most reports suggest that the favored regions are the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale, the two main hunting grounds for most shiraz lovers. Healthy winter and early spring conditions (featuring especially good rainfall) and a benign late spring and summer across the continent laid the groundwork for an excellent vintage. The growing season was as long as any in memory, and the harvest was dry and prolonged nearly everywhere. Yields were very high, particularly for shiraz, which was 43% above the level attained in 2003.

Then in 2005 production set yet another record, surpassing that of 2004 by 6%. Still, quality was high, and once again the Barossa area appears to have been especially successful, by all accounts bringing in grapes equal to, if not surpassing, those of 2004 in quality, and usually riper. According to veteran winemaker John Duval, Barossa 2005 combines the ripeness of 2003 and the balance of 2004. But by all accounts, 2005 was a strong vintage in virtually every important wine-producing area of Australia.

Drought conditions across Australia in 2003, particularly in the southeastern portion of the country, resulted in a smaller-than-normal crop, and many wines reflect the hot, dry conditions. Aside from wines produced in higher-altitude regions or those close to the ocean, most 2003s, white and red, will be best drunk on the young side while you wait for the more elegant 2004s and 2005s to mature.