After a dream start, 15 days of extreme heat in early March tempered thoughts of a truly sensational season.

On Friday night Stephen Henschke, winemaker and Barons of Barossa grand master, described the recently completed vintage as “an incredibly polarised year”.

“Early on it was the vintage from heaven, but it turned into a nightmare later on,” Mr Henschke said.

There was plenty of feedback provided for the 2008 vintage as the Barons of Barossa held their inaugural post-vintage ‘happy hour’ tasting at Henschke Wines last week.

“It is such a great opportunity,” Mr Henschke said.

The winemaker described the tasting event as a chance to see and taste a step along the journey between the grapes and the finished product.

“Some of the reds still need a few years,” Mr Henschke said. “These are unpolished gems, and they will only get better.

“This is also a good event to share ideas.

“And it is good to get away from a busy vintage, take a break and have a drink.”

Louisa Rose, Yalumba chief winemaker and Baron, said the quality of wines at Friday evening’s tasting was an indication of the “overwhelmingly positive vintage” - at least until the heat hit.

“By the first week in February the pickers were out in force,” Ms Rose said. “And we even had Barossa Shiraz picked in early February, which is very early. But then the 15 days straight of an incredible heatwave.

The Yalumba winemaker said the tasting was an opportunity to see how good the vintage really was.

“So many of these wines are eminently drinkable now,” she said.

“They are not ready for release but they are already beautiful.”

James Irvine, the man behind the Irvine Wines label, was particularly taken by one 2008 wine at the tasting.

“Charlie Melton has produced a cracker rosé,” Mr Irvine said.

Ben Glaetzer, another winemaker and Baron, explained that he saw the Barossa vintage as a three part season: pre-heat, during the heat and post-heat.

“Pre-heat we had bright, fruity wines with good acid backgrounds - really good drinking wines,” Mr Glaetzer said.

“For those who selected the right parcels of fruit it shows the talent in the vineyard and the winery, and those people will have made some spectacular wines.”

But he was honest in his assessment of the post-heat wine.

“A lot of the wines are lacklustre and the variety that suffered the most was cabernet sauvignon,” Mr Glaetzer said.

“A lot of the worst of it won’t be bottled, I can guarantee that.

“I’m sure every winery has a dark secret from 2008.”

Barossa wines to watch from 2008

Whites...

• Peter Lehmann Barossa Valley Riesling

• Pewsey Vale Eden Valley Riesling

• Irvine Albarino

Rosé...

• Charles Melton Rose of Virginia

Reds...

• Henschke Eden Valley Shiraz

• Glaetzer Moppa Shiraz

• Bethany Wines Shiraz

• St Hallet Shiraz

(These young red wines were not tasted as labelled wines)