2019 Shadowfax Minnow Roussanne

Shadowfax

Australia / Werribee / Shadowfax

The fruit was gently whole-bunch pressed and left to settle over night prior to racking. The primary ferment occurred at cooler temperatures to retain fruit aromas. After primary ferment it was gravity fed into older French hogshead barrels in our underground cellar for further maturing. It was left on light lees to develop further complexity for 6 months prior to bottling. It shows hay, lanolin, chamomile, lemon balm and peach notes on the nose. It's medium bodied with both a creamy and waxy sense to the mouthfeel, carrying lemon and white stone fruit notes with white floral suggestions. It finishes with salted almond tones and a slight but pleasant zing and zestiness. - Ed Merrison, CellarHand

James Halliday’s Top 100

The Australian

95 points

Cool-fermented in French hogsheads in the underground cellar. Young Roussanne can be boring but this is the opposite, with a plethora of aromas and flavours in Southern Rhone style. Honeycomb, fig, marzipan and pear are neatly corralled by just-in-time acidity.

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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. The name is both a reflection of the grapes’ underdog status and a clever play on “Minervois”, a southern French appellation where these kinds of blends are common. It's 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.”