2024 Sandalford Estate Reserve Malbec
Black fruits, plum and subtle oak flavours are framed by plush tannin’s and a soft, fine acid structure which is in balance with the fruit. The tannins, which contribute to the wine's structure, are smooth and velvety. There is a nice structure and softness to the wine which makes for appealing drinking now. This wine will also reward cellaring over the next five to ten years.
Winemaker comments
Winemaker Notes
Malbec is a French Bordeaux grape variety typically used in blends as a minor component to improve the colour and depth of base wines. As a single varietal, the wines display a dark fruit profile of plum, blackberry and dark cherry fruit. The grapes grown for making this wine are from the original Sandalford Vineyard in Wilyabrup, Margaret River. Machine harvested fruit was de-stemmed to small open fermenters and then fermented with native yeasts. Following ten days on skins, the wine was pressed off to tank, settled, then racked to French oak barriques (20% new) for maturation. Following 14 months maturation, the wine was blended and included a small percentage of Shiraz (11%) to provide interest and complexity. No finings. And the wine was filtered before 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
Malbec, Shiraz
Colour
Other Notes
Deep red with purple hues.
Nose
Production
Black cherry, Satsuma plum, blackberries, chocolate box and cocoa. There is an overlay of savoury spice, rose petal, and floral violet notes adding complexity.
Palate
Tasting Note
Black fruits, plum and subtle oak flavours are framed by plush tannin’s and a soft, fine acid structure which is in balance with the fruit. The tannins, which contribute to the wine's structure, are smooth and velvety. There is a nice structure and softness to the wine which makes for appealing drinking now. This wine will also reward cellaring over the next five to ten years.
Vintage Conditions
Vineyard Notes
The spring season preceding the 2024 vintage was drier than usual with rainfall down 23% below average and the warmest spring temperatures on record for Western Australia. The weather pattern remained hot and dry leading into summer with temperatures well above average. Flowering, veraison, and ripening all occurred very early which led to vintage commencing a month earlier than normal. Sandalford began picking their white fruit in the first week of January – the earliest start on record.
