2019 Sandalford 1840 Cabernet Merlot
This wine opens with blackberry fruit and savoury spices. There’s a hint of plum skin and rhubarb emerging with a subtle wild mint character in the background. The palate is complex and textured with a lovely acid line and tightly wound tannins working together to provide length to the finish.
Winemaker comments
Winemaker Notes
The fruit for this wine was picked in early March 2019. After de-stemming each variety to separate small 5 tonne open fermenters, they were both inoculated with selected yeast strains. During fermentation the must was pumped over twice daily to extract flavour, colour and tannin. Based on taste, the fermenting must was then pressed to tank and inoculated for Malolactic Fermentation (MLF) before being transferred into French oak barriques for maturation. With 5% new oak, 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.
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Tasting notes
Varietals
Varietal
Cabernet Merlot
Colour
Other Notes
Deep garnet red with bright hues.
Nose
Production
Blackberry and red fruits with subtle dark olive, camphor, bay leaf, mocha and cedar notes.
Palate
Tasting Note
This wine opens with blackberry fruit and savoury spices. There’s a hint of plum skin and rhubarb emerging with a subtle wild mint character in the background. The palate is complex and textured with a lovely acid line and tightly wound tannins working together to provide length to the finish.
Vintage Conditions
Vineyard Notes
Whilst the majority of Australia had a hot summer with above average temperatures, the southwest corner of WA was blessed with a mild summer, with temperatures for the period falling below average. These milder conditions resulted in a delayed ripening for most varieties resulting in excellent flavour development within the grapes at harvest. With no disease pressure, all grapes were harvested with an optimum balance of sugar and flavours. The resulting wines show wonderful varietal characters.
