2009
(Tentative) A pretty tough vintage, with a cold, wet spring and June summer, saved only by low yields and a hot August.
Atlantic Canada
The 2009 vintage wasn't great in Nova Scotia, with poor weather and less volume than is typical (30 percent less, according to winemaker Hans Christian Jost of Jost Vineyards). The cold season was severe, resulting in a lot of winter kill. Spring was wet and the first part of summer was ridiculously wet and cool, but, luckily, the late summer was hot and early fall was nice, warm and dry. October was cold.
Even though it was a poor year, the brix levels on the grapes were generally higher than average. This was likely due to the increasing experience of growers, a case of nurture versus nature. Knowledge plays a greater role in a young region; techniques such as crop thinning and leaf pulling are now being employed on a regular basis. One good quality measurement of a Nova Scotia vintage is if Jost makes a Reserve Maréchal Foch, a wine it has been making for more than 10 years — sadly, there is no Reserve expected in 2009.
