2021 Sandalford Sweet Red
An abundance of berry fruit flavours follows onto the palate. Savoury spices, mocha flavours and camphor add interest. This wine is unmistakably a sweet red.
Winemaker comments
Winemaker Notes
Sweet red is a style for those wine drinkers who often find red wines somewhat dry and tannic. There is often a cultural aspect to this, and out of respect, this wine is made to suit those who really enjoy this style of wine. Definitely a wine to savour when served slightly chilled.
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
Colour
Other Notes
Garnet red.
Nose
Production
Bright sweet berry fruit flavours of blackberries, mulberries and raspberries with hints of chocolate.
Palate
Tasting Note
This wine is a blend of Merlot (76%), Cabernet Sauvignon (21%) and Shiraz (3%) fruit harvested off our Caversham Estate property in the Swan Valley. At the winery, the fruit was immediately destemmed to stainless steel fermenters and inoculated with a selected yeast isolate. At the end of fermentation, the wine was drained and pressed to tank and allowed to complete the Malolactic Fermentation before transfer to seasoned French oak for maturation. The wine was then blended and sweetened with red grape concentrate to the desired sweetness level prior to clarification, stabilisation and bottling.
Vintage Conditions
Vineyard Notes
The 2021 vintage could be best described as challenging. A reflection of the wetter than average summer impacting picking decisions. The Caversham vineyard however fared well and produced fresh, bright, flavoursome fruit to make wines from. Grapes were phonologically ripe at time of picking and harvested with an optimal balance of sugar and flavours. The resulting wines are fresh and display wonderful, bright varietal fruit characteristics.
