2015 Shadowfax Mondeuse

Shadowfax

Australia / Werribee / Shadowfax

Fruit from the Shadowfax vineyard in Werribee. Winemaker Matt Harrop's previously used his Mondeuse for the Southern France-inspired Minnow blend; this is the first varietal bottling. It shows bright red and blue fruit with earthy undertones, a lick of alpine herbs and crack of pepper, with clean, fresh acidity.

March, 2016

Mike Bennie

The Wine Front

93 points.

Hook, line, sinker. They’ve got me. It’s reminiscent of the favoured styles of Savoie but has a little extra ripe fruitiness, bolstering drinkability. It’s got scents of red cherries, plums, blueberries, mint, fennel, pepper. In the palate, ripe fruit flavours but that earthy tannin spread is wickedly good and the finish is a corkscrew of dustiness and sour-sweet amaro herbs. It’s effortless, pure, shows crunch and deliciousness. So 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. 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.”