2018 Shadowfax Midhill Chardonnay

Shadowfax

Australia / Werribee / Shadowfax

100% Chardonnay from the Midhill vineyard in Romsey. Good spring rains set the season up in the Macedon Ranges. Soil moisture continued through to harvest even though there was no rain in January, February and March. The best part of the vineyard was selected based on soil type and careful fruit thinning was performed to increase flavour depth and structure. Fruit was handpicked in pristine condition and firmly whole bunch-pressed to impart some skin contact to release the full flavour profile and impart some phenolic texture. Natural ferment occurred in new (20%) and older French barrels. The wine was left to unwind and age slowly on its ferment lees to add generosity. After 11 months the wine was racked and filtered prior to bottling in February 2019.
Light straw-green hue with brilliant clarity. Kaffir lime, grapefruit and a mineral note shine through on the nose. White floral notes add intrigue. Wild fermentation lees add a bread dough nuance, while a charred bacon note adds further complexity. White peach fuzz and grapefruits spill immediately onto the palate. Lime and sherbet acidity provide focus and length. A concentrated palate is long and intense yet continually develops, while grapefruit pith phenolics add further complexity and structure. A great example of cold-climate Macedon ranges Chardonnay. – Al Timms, Shadowfax

November, 2019

Campbell Mattinson

The Wine Front

94+ points

Fruit. Composure. Length. It’s all here. It sits pretty, peach-driven and poised. Grilled/toasted aspects, a lick of oak spice, a line of citrus, perhaps melon. Quartz. Class written all over it. Will be better in another year or three.

James Halliday

Halliday Wine Companion 2021

94 points

From Shadowfax's most powerful site in the Macedon Ranges, and in another league. It takes flight with a mix of white and pink grapefruit, juice and pith, plus a contrasting touch of nougat and cream. Fruit thinning has paid its way, too.

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About Shadowfax

Shadowfax has taken tremendous strides in recent times, with the team refining the range and proving their prowess with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Their single-vineyard Chardonnays have taken out Best Chardonnay at the Macedon Ranges Wine Exhibition no fewer than five times. Especially noteworthy have been the Little Hampton Vineyard in Macedon's high-altitude plantings of Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, in the chilliest region of Australia’s mainland. These are the vibrant future of Australia’s cool-climate wine scene. The counterpoint to this is the dynamic Minnow project, based around the Werribee vineyard’s southern French varieties. This is the source of bright, spicy, textured rosé and reds, with the micro-make Mondeuse immediately becoming a delicious cult hit. With long-serving vineyard manager and assistant winemaker Alister Timms taking the helm in October 2017, these are hugely exciting times for Shadowfax.

About

Shortly after completing this second degree, Alister started working at Shadowfax as Assistant Winemaker, a position he held for three years before moving back home to run his family’s winery, Kilgour Estate. In 2008, Alister returned to Shadowfax to manage the winery’s various vineyards and establish the Little Hampton property in the Macedon Ranges, whilst working as Assistant Winemaker to Matt Harrop. When Matt decided to leave Shadowfax in October 2017, after almost 20 years as winemaker, Alister was the obvious choice as his replacement. “I look forward to building on the foundation that we’ve created over the years and seeing our vineyards reach their full potential, and to follow that through in the winery.”