2019 Shadowfax Midhill Chardonnay

Shadowfax

Australia / Werribee / Shadowfax

Fruit for Shadowfax Midhill Chardonnay is sourced from the Midhill Vineyard, perched 550m up in Romsey in the Macedon Ranges, & was harvested by hand on 28th March. The grapes were firmly whole bunch-pressed to allow some skin contact and release the full flavour profile and impart some phenolic texture. Natural fermentation 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 2020.
Grapefruit, lime and a minerality shine through. White floral notes, macadamia oil and ginger spice add intrigue. Wild fermentation lees add a bread dough nuance, while a charred bacon note adds further complexity. Again on the palate you have grapefruit and limes spill immediately onto the tongue. Zesty sherbet acidity provides focus and length, with flicks of mineral notes. 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, 2020

Gary Walsh

The Wine Front

95 points.

Ripe lime and grapefruit, grilled peach, clove and biscuit spices. It’s juicy, but firm and precise, ample flavour, lots of pleasing flinty bits, and a particularly impressive finish that’s long, tight and layered with spice and drizzled with sweet citrus fruits. Jolly good.

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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.”