2018 Sandalford 1840 Cabernet Merlot
This wine opens with berries and savoury spices, but keeps evolving in
the glass. There’s plums and stewed rhubarb with a floral lift. For the
savoury there’s smoky vanilla and fennel as well as mocha. The palate
is complex and beautifully textured with silky smooth tannins. The
acid is bright and leads this wine to have wonderful length on the
finish.
Winemaker comments
Winemaker Notes
The Cabernet Sauvignon was picked in late February, followed by the Merlot two weeks later. After de-stemming and crushing, each parcel was inoculated with selected yeast strains and fermented in small 5 tonne open fermenters. The fermentation was managed with twice daily pump overs to extract colour, flavour and tannin. Based on taste, having achieved the ideal balance of flavour and extract, the ferment was then pressed to tank. After the completion of primary fermentation, the wine was inoculated for Malolactic Fermentation (MLF) and allowed to complete before being transferred to French oak barriques for maturation. The wine spent 16 months maturing in these barrels prior to blending and bottling.
Meet the maker
By the time I turned 18, I had become fascinated with wine. I was keen to learn as much about wine as I could and I received some great advice: to work in the industry before committing to any tertiary study....
Continue Reading > I was lucky enough to get my start at the cellars at Houghton Wines, here in the Swan Valley. I loved it, and it was the beginning of a career which was to eventually see me spend 20 years with Houghton’s. But first, I wanted to discover what traditional winemaking was like in the northern hemisphere. I took myself off to Burgundy, France, where I worked several vintages learning as much as I could about the craft of winemaking from some the best in the business. Returning to Australia I continued my career, picking up a few awards in the process of learning more and more about winemaking and achieving Bachelor of Applied Science and Oenology at Charles Sturt University, NSW. I was awarded the inaugural Gourmet Traveler Young Winemaker of the Year 2001, James Halliday’s Winemaker of the year in 2009, Winemaker of the Year in Ray Jordan's 2017 Annual West Australian Wine Guide, and I’ve judged extensively at capital city and regional wine shows. Australia makes some amazing world class wines! I’ve been fortunate to be Senior Winemaker at Sandalford Wines since March 2021 and I’m delighted every day by our estates’ old vines, the passion of the viticulture team here, and the outcomes we are able to achieve each vintage.
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Continue Reading > I was lucky enough to get my start at the cellars at Houghton Wines, here in the Swan Valley. I loved it, and it was the beginning of a career which was to eventually see me spend 20 years with Houghton’s. But first, I wanted to discover what traditional winemaking was like in the northern hemisphere. I took myself off to Burgundy, France, where I worked several vintages learning as much as I could about the craft of winemaking from some the best in the business. Returning to Australia I continued my career, picking up a few awards in the process of learning more and more about winemaking and achieving Bachelor of Applied Science and Oenology at Charles Sturt University, NSW. I was awarded the inaugural Gourmet Traveler Young Winemaker of the Year 2001, James Halliday’s Winemaker of the year in 2009, Winemaker of the Year in Ray Jordan's 2017 Annual West Australian Wine Guide, and I’ve judged extensively at capital city and regional wine shows. Australia makes some amazing world class wines! I’ve been fortunate to be Senior Winemaker at Sandalford Wines since March 2021 and I’m delighted every day by our estates’ old vines, the passion of the viticulture team here, and the outcomes we are able to achieve each vintage.
Show less
Tasting notes
Varietals
Varietal
Cabernet Merlot
Colour
Other Notes
Deep garnet with brick red hues.
Nose
Production
Black fruits, plum skin, chocolate box and cedar spice notes, with alluring hints of wild mint and bay leaf.
Palate
Tasting Note
This wine opens with berries and savoury spices, but keeps evolving in the glass. There’s plums and stewed rhubarb with a floral lift. For the savoury there’s smoky vanilla and fennel as well as mocha. The palate is complex and beautifully textured with silky smooth tannins. The acid is bright and leads this wine to have wonderful length on the finish.
Vintage Conditions
Vineyard Notes
The 2018 vintage was a return to the fantastic conditions that WA is renowned for. The wet winter preceding the growing season provided ample soil moisture for the healthy vines to ripen over the summer months. The maximum temperatures over the summer months were consistent with long term averages. An extended dry and warm period through to the end of the season presented ideal conditions for the ripening of fruit. All grapes harvested this season are of exceptional quality and showing great varietal characteristics.
