Climate of Whalebone Vineyard

The climate of the Whalebone Vineyard is a bit of an enigma.

The nearest official weather station is at Struan, 7 kilometres due west of Whalebone Vineyard on the Coonawarra plain at an altitude of 65 metres. It is separated from Whalebone Vineyard by the ridge of the West Naracoorte Range, peaking at that point at 105 metres.

Being north of Coonawarra, Struan is warmer at 1472ºC days heat summation versus Coonawarra at 1376ºC days. (Heat summation is the number of degrees of heat above 10ºC received by the vineyard over the growing season from October to April inclusive).

It has always been assumed that the Wrattonbully region is warmer than Coonawarra and indeed the Wrattonbully Wine Region web site quotes 1503ºC days based on the average of Kybybolite to the north and east and Struan to the south and west.

The sequence of major events for vines during their growing season is called the phenology of the vine (bud burst, flowering, veraison, harvest), and Whalebone Vineyard is about one week in advance of Coonawarra in its phenological timetable. This may be because Whalebone Vineyard is protected from the winds by the ridge of the West Naracoorte Range whereas Coonawarra is exposed to the full blast of the winds from all quarters to the south and west. Wind stress delays ripening. I have installed an automatic weather station at Whalebone Vineyard and a comparison of the heat summation to that of Coonawarra over the past 8 vintages indicates that Whalebone Vineyard was at least as cool as Coonawarra.