2020 Sandalford Estate Reserve Shiraz
The palate is medium bodied, elegantly structured and stylish, but has power and length. The berry and savoury spice flavours are well supported by the sweet, subtle tannins and natural acidity. There’s a savouriness to this wine in support of the dark fruit and spice notes. The finish is rich and lingering. A wine that will age gracefully for at least another decade in good cellaring conditions.
Winemaker comments
Winemaker Notes
Estate grown old vine Shiraz grapes were machine picked in the cool of the night and transported to Sandalford before destemming to small 5 tonne open fermenters. Following a short cold maceration, the must was inoculated with a selected yeast isolate. The ferment was gently worked to extract flavour, colour and tannin. Once the right amount of extraction was achieved, the ferment was then pressed to tank to complete primary ferment. The wine was then inoculated for Malolactic Fermentation (MLF), before being transferred to 100% French oak barriques (30% new) for maturation. The wine then spent 15 months maturation in these barrels prior to blending and bottling. An outstanding example of Margaret River Shiraz from a great vintage.
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
Shiraz
Colour
Other Notes
Dark cherry red.
Nose
Production
A complex bouquet of blackberry fruit, raspberry, savoury spices, star anise, clove, and a light dusting of cocoa and black pepper overlayed with toasted vanillin oak, cedar and chocolate box nuances.
Palate
Tasting Note
The palate is full flavoured and structured. The dark berry flavours of blackberry, mulberry and blueberries mingle with the savoury spices. There’s a savouriness to this wine in support of the dark fruit and spice notes. The tannins are rounded and supple and in balance with the acid. The finish is rich and lingering. A wine that will age gracefully for at least another decade if stored in ideal cellaring conditions.
Vintage Conditions
Vineyard Notes
2020 was a vintage like no other. Whilst a global pandemic changed the way people lived their lives, Margaret River experienced a near perfect vintage. The preceding Spring growing season was warmer than average resulting in earlier bud burst and grape development. Grape yields were lower than the long-term average which led to one of the earliest harvests on record. The near perfect growing season allowed the winemakers to harvest fruit at optimal flavour and sugar ripeness. The resulting red wines are deeply coloured and display wonderful intensity and depth of flavour as a consequence of the low fruit yields. An outstanding year for Margeret River red wines.
