2016 Shadowfax Mondeuse

Shadowfax

Australia / Werribee / Shadowfax

The deep red soils of Werribee are ideally suited to this thin-skinned native of the Savoie. Careful work in the vineyard is essential, as Mondeuse wants to produce a large crop. We shoot and bunch thin to ensure a simple yield of this extremely rare variety. All fruit was hand harvested and naturally fermented without destemming. After 16 days on skins, Matt Harrop and the team pressed and the new wine was transferred to old hogsheads for MLF and maturation. The 2016 Mondeuse was racked and then bottled, unfiltered, on 24th August 2016.
It's dense, deep red with a bright crimson hue. Fresh red currants, raspberries, some alpine herbs, all supremely bright, lifted and inviting. The palate is a revelation. Fresh red fruits on the front palate are framed by super fine, savoury, fruit derived tannins. Uncluttered with any winemaking artefact, this ’16 Mondeuse is a winner. Pure, fresh, bright and crunchy.

October, 2016

Max Allen

The Australian

A ripper of a red, made in Werribee of all places from a relatively rare grape variety: wild and lively flavours of hedgerow berries, juicy on the tongue, light-footed, but with an earthy, gamy tang on the finish. Drink with chunky terrine.

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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.”