2018 Sandalford Prendiville Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
This wine is intense and complex. Like the nose, it will keep evolving in the glass as you’re enjoying it. Blackberries and sweet blueberries are in abundance with the same savoury flavours combining with spice notes, especially cinnamon and nutmeg. The French oak adds a lovely layer of cedar, mocha and vanilla. The tannins are powerful, yet very fine grain and soft. Underneath there is a refreshing acid balance, which combine with the tannins to give this wine a beautifully textured line through the palate and gives length on the finish so the wonderful flavours linger on. With 70% new French oak, this wine is just a baby and whilst drinking beautifully now, with careful cellar maturation for 15 year or more, this limited release of the Prendiville Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon will certainly reward the patient.
Winemaker comments
Winemaker Notes
After destemming and crushing, this select parcel of hand-picked Cabernet grapes was inoculated with a selected yeast strain and fermented in small five tonne open fermenters. The traditional method of pumping over was done by hand, twice daily during fermentation to optimise colour, flavour and tannin extraction from the fermenting must. At the end of ferment, the wine was pressed off skins and transferred to French oak barrels. After twelve months of barrel maturation, only the best fifteen barriques were put aside for this release of the Prendiville Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. Each bottle is individually numbered.
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.
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Tasting notes
Varietals
Varietal
Cabernet Sauvignon
Colour
Other Notes
Dark ruby red.
Nose
Production
A powerful nose that jumps out of the glass. It is complex and evolves as its given time to open up in the glass. Up front there are savoury notes of bay leaf and juniper. These open up to rich dark berries, blackberries and sweet blueberries and a hint of violets.
Palate
Tasting Note
This wine is intense and complex. Like the nose, it will keep evolving in the glass as you're enjoying it. Blackberries and sweet blueberries are in abundance with the same savoury flavours combining with spice notes, especially cinnamon and nutmeg. The French oak adds a lovely layer of cedar, mocha and vanilla. The tannins are powerful, yet very fine grain and soft. Underneath there is a refreshing acid balance, which combine with the tannins to give this wine a beautifully textured line through the palate and gives length on the finish so the wonderful flavours linger on. With 70% new French oak, this wine is just a baby and whilst drinking beautifully now, with careful cellar maturation for 15 year or more, this limited release of the Prendiville Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon will certainly reward the patient. (A harmless deposit may form in the bottle during cellar maturation and decanting is recommended prior to serving).
Vintage Conditions
Vineyard Notes
The 2018 vintage was a return to the fantastic conditions that Margaret River is known for. With a wet start to the season in winter and early spring providing a good base of ground water for the vines. November was very dry, perfectly timed with the vines going through flowering and fruit set. After rainfall in both December and mid-January, the season changed and we saw an extended dry and warm period through to the end of picking in mid-April. The maximum temperatures were consistent with long term average and the sea breeze providing the essential cool nights that Margaret River is known for. All fruit this season is of exceptional quality and showing great varietal characters.
