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Named after and centred on the town of Pemberton, this richly timbered region was first planted experimentally in 1977, with commercial vineyards following in 1982, and enjoyed rapid growth in the 1990s. The region is situated in the lower south-west of Western Australia; west of the Great Southern and south-east of the Margaret River regions. Except for the months of December to March, Pemberton has a marginally warmer growing season climate than does neighbouring Manjimup, which may seem somewhat surprising but is confirmation that Manjimup has a more continental climate in that it warms and cools more quickly than does Pemberton. The result is that Pemberton not only has a higher heat degree day summation, though only by 5 HDD, and more sunshine hours (1623 to 1535), but it also has a heavier rainfall and greater relative humidity. The mean annual range of Pemberton is also lower, 8.55ºC (45.68ºF) as opposed to 9.7ºC (49.46ºF) for Manjimup, simply because Pemberton is nearer the sea. In other words, it has a slightly more maritime climate.
As a result of the high annual rainfall, a number of vineyards do not use irrigation, but the very pronounced winter and spring dominance can lead to stress if subsoil moisture diminishes late in the growing season. While Manjimup is seen as more suited to the Bordeaux varieties, at Pemberton the focus has moved more towards the Burgundian varieties of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Some 85 percent of the Pemberton region remains under native vegetation with magnificent marri forests in the northern half, moving to karri in the south. There are two major soil types. The first are the lateritic gravelly sands and gravelly loams overlying medium clay with moderate water retention capacity. These moderately fertile soils are found on many of the higher slopes around Pemberton. The second soil is the more fertile karri loam which was formed directly from the gneissic country rock and which, together with the abundant winter and spring rainfall, leads to vigorous growth.
Wineries
Black George, Fonty’s Pool, Piano Gully Vineyard, Batista, Donnelly River Wines, Gloucester Ridge Vineyard, Hidden River Estate, Lost Lake, Merum, Moss Wood-Lefroy Brook, Mountford Wines, Phillips Wines, Picardy, Salitage Wines, Tantemaggie, Treen Ridge Estate, The Warren Vineyard, and Woodsmoke Estate.
If you would like to have your winery included in this list, please email awbc@awbc.com.au.
Wine Notes
Chardonnay
Not only is this the most widely planted variety, but it is clearly the most successful across the entire region in terms of style and quality. Chardonnay is a forgiving and flexible variety and does not object to being grown in what might be termed easy or soft conditions. At its best, it produces opulently flavoured and structured wines, with an almost creamy texture and which respond well to the generous use of high quality French oak.
Merlot
Either as a varietal in its own right, or blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot may yet prove to be more suited to the region than Pinot Noir.
Pinot Noir
Great faith has been pinned on this variety but the results to date have not been consistent in table wines. Substantial quantities of both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are used for sparkling wine, with good results in each case. Perhaps the region is too warm, but these are still early days. Some good Pinot Noir’s have been made but work remains to be done, perhaps with clonal selection, perhaps site selection.
Vital Statistics
| Pemberton 1941-2003 |
| Map Coordinates | 34° 27'S, 116° 03'E |
| Altitude | 174 m (570 feet) |
| Heat degree days | 1497 (cut off at 19ºC (66.2ºF) but otherwise not adjusted) |
| Sunshine hours, Oct-Apr | 1623 |
| Annual rainfall | 1198 mm (47.1 inches) |
| Growing season rainfall | 340 mm (13.4 inches) |
| Mean January temperature | 19.6°C (67°F) |
| Harvest time | Early Mar-Mid Apr |