A wet 1999 vintage was followed by a cold and dry winter. April and May were very wet with half the annual rainfall falling in these two months. June and July were dry. August continued dry, with the first half being extremely hot. The end of August and early September had perfect ripening conditions with long warm days. A couple of days of rain between the 10th and 18th September produced the ideal conditions and finished off the ripening. The resulting wines were big and full bodied with intense colour and very attractive aromas.