Monthly Report - March 2014

Cabernet Franc

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We are still tossing up about the Teroldego, but I think it is likely we will make a vintage this year.  Shiraz did not get a pass mark – fruit was unbalanced and did not quite hit the spot – a bit more heat in February may have been required for this grape.  Maybe next year.

 

Wallcliffe…

 

What's in a name?  Well quite a lot apparently and this part of the wine industry irks me quite considerably.  Cape Mentelle, a winery owned by the large French company Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessey (LVMH), have gone ahead and trade marked the name “Wallcliffe”, as they produce a range of wines within the Cape Mentelle range with that title.  It is however a common name in the region, Wallcliffe Rd, Wallcliffe House, Wallcliffe Volunteer Fire Brigade etc etc – and perhaps more importantly to this tale, it is the name used by Gladstone when he defined the Margaret River sub-regions about 15 years ago.

 

So, when a winery from the region places on their label “Wallcliffe” in relation to the sub-region as defined by Gladstone, LVMH will send you a cease and desist letter so as to protect their “brand”.  So why did Cape Mentelle think this was a cracking idea?  Well they do produce their second tier wines with the name Wallcliffe printed large, and they are in actuality the only major vineyard on Wallcliffe Road (though it is not certain that only grapes from their Wallcliffe Vineyard actually goes into their Wallcliffe wines).  But to register the name, a regional name, and then actively hold others to account for using it, knowing full well it is a recorded sub-region of Margaret River?  That just comes across as selfish, disrespectful and short-sighted.

 

Now the reason I say it is disrespectful is that Gladstone, the one guy that aided this fledgling industry in the 1960’s get off the ground should be given some lee-way.  I know full well you can argue that the sub-regions that he set out are not particularly relevant, but who is to say they will not be tightened up in the years to come?  The names used by Gladstone for the sub-regions should be preserved so as to fall into more adequately defined regions at a later date – it did not happen overnight in France where appellations are still undergoing review and definition 200 years on from inception.  The fact that our current Margaret River Wine Industry Association has not sought the use of sub-regions, does not mean that will always be the case – crikey, we are talking about wine here, a product that is made once a year and with vines that live to over 100 years old.

 

And the reason it is short-sighted?  Well simply this – one day there will be a revision of these sub-regions and Cape Mentelle will be part of a block of high quality wineries in the “Wallcliffe” sub-region, and that region will be defined as simply the vineyards from Cape Mentelle through to Leeuwin Estate near the town site of Margaret River.  A “super” sub-region (like Wilyabrup is currently), will be formed one day – Margaret River’s own version of Margaux and Pauillac, and they will be founding members of it.  Every piece of promotion by Voyager, Leeuwin, Xanadu and possibly others of the “super” sub-region will reflect directly back on to them as well – and this means more visitors and higher prices.  To not use the primary name as allocated by Gladstone will come across as false and possibly not be accepted within the new “sub-region” designations.

 

It appears I am the only one seeing it this way.  Meetings have been held, and active nodding of heads has been seen, with the resulting situation being that LVMH have secured the title “Wallcliffe”.  I do not think it is right.  But we live in a strange and self-centered world and all you can do at times is look at it and shake your head.

 

Seasons are a changin’...

 

It has been a month that wandered along in all its summery glory until 25 March, and then the season changed.  Fortunately for us we picked that thin-skinned Merlot on 24 March, but the Cabernet does not mind the cool of the night as its tannins slowly ripen in the skin.  We have picked up an inch of rain since 25 March and there is a tinge of green spreading across the paddocks which makes it look a little less like barren acres.

 

The numbers for the month and last year’s figures are provided below:

 

March 2014:      

Avg Maximum Temp          25.4°C

Daily Max recorded            35.8°C

 

Avg Minimum Temp           14.1°C               

Daily Min recorded               6.7°C

 

Rainfall:                               28.5mm

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The maximum temperature average is a little higher than last years, with the minimum’s average also a little higher to the previous years, as the warm conditions held to near the end of the month.  Rainfall is similar in both months at about an inch in the old scale, and this initial rainfall often marks the change of season in the SW of WA.

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March 2013:      

Avg Maximum Temp          24.7°C

Daily Max recorded            32.9°C

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Avg Minimum Temp           13.3°C

Daily Min recorded               7.6°C

 

Rainfall:                              21.8mm

 

Vintage finishes …

 

April will be as hectic as March, and for good reason as we finish our vintage and get all the nets in and shed stored and locked away for another approaching winter.  We all look forward to May in this game, but next month has no relief from the busy schedule we have given ourselves.

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As always if you have any queries about what’s been written or about wine in general, do not hesitate to contact us either by email or www.twitter.com/bluepoles and we’ll do our very best to answer any question.

 

Cheers

 

 

Mark Gifford

Blue Poles Vineyard