2021 Sandalford Margaret River Range Cabernet Merlot
Mid weight and elegant. The generous sweet red fruits, plum skin, and
rhubarb nuances are balanced with subtle savoury oak. The firm, fine
grained tannin structure is well balanced providing length to this
medium bodied wine. This classic Bordeaux blend will cellar for up to 10
years adding complexity with bottle age.
Winemaker comments
Winemaker Notes
The grapes were harvested during the cool of night in mid-April and destemmed to
static fermenters. A select yeast isolate was used in the primary fermentation and
lasted for 10 days with pump overs used twice daily during this period to ensure
optimum extraction of colour, flavour and tannins. The wine was then drained and
pressed to tank for malolactic fermentation before maturation in a combination of
tank and seasoned French oak barrels before blending, fining 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.
Show less
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
Garnet with youthful ruby red hues.
Nose
Production
Blackcurrant and red fruits overlaying plum skin, potpourri, wild mint
and bay leaf nuances. Oak spice and cedar notes derived from French
oak maturation adding to the appeal.
Palate
Tasting Note
Mid weight and elegant. The generous sweet red fruits, plum skin, and
rhubarb nuances are balanced with subtle savoury oak. The firm, fine
grained tannin structure is well balanced providing length to this
medium bodied wine. This classic Bordeaux blend will cellar for up to 10
years adding complexity with bottle age.
Vintage Conditions
Vineyard Notes
The 2021 vintage could be best described as challenging. A reflection of the wetter
than average summer impacting picking decisions. Our Wilyabrup vineyard however
fared well and produced fresh, bright, flavoursome fruit to make wines from. The low
yielding Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot vines were machine harvested in the cool of
the night and transported to the winery for processing. The resulting wines are fresh,
balanced and display wonderful varietal fruit characteristics.
