Harvest 2009: Chile's Dry Season

A warm and dry year leads to ripe wines and slightly higher yields

Chilean vintners grappled with a long and drier-than-usual growing season in 2009, with initial reports indicating ripe, forward-styled wines.

The season stretched from the middle of February through the end of May. Growers started harvest with their early-ripening white varieties and ended with late-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenère grapes.

The season's dry conditions were some of the most severe on record, with some areas reporting zero rainfall from October through the end of harvest.

The quality of red varieties from the warmer, inland areas of Maipo, Rapel and Aconcagua valley look to be variable, with vineyard management an important factor through the growing season.

In this long dry season It was very important to adjust the leaf pulling to protect the fruit from high temperatures and sun to avoid color and acidity loss, that is why the high temperatures had a big impact in traditionally warm valleys. Expecting high alcohols wines with low acidities.

Colchagua, was in the normal range and most of the grapes came in healthy. sunburn affected color and flavors on Cabernet Sauvignon,Syrah and Carmenère performed particularly well.

In cooler, coastal areas, where the quality of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc has surged in recent years, along with Syrah and Pinot Noir, growers reported that the warm, dry conditions were offset by markedly cooler nights.
Limarí valley shows very ripe fruit and at this time fat, soft wines that are a little bit less vibrant in terms of acidity.

Casablanca valley It was an early harvest for Pinot Noir and Syrah with high maturity, and the Flavors were on the ripe side, but nothing seemed overripe."

Growers also reported slightly higher than normal yields in 2009, with 10 percent to 20 percent higher crop loads than in either 2008 or 2007.

Most of information is from James Molesworth, in his report at www.winespectator.com