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Vintage
In stark contrast to 2006 the 2007 vintage was the earliest start to vintage in recorded history at Sandalford Wines. Picking dates were some two to six weeks ahead of the “average”. The main contributors to this were the very warm and dry summer conditions, the cumulative effect of successive years of drought and the ultra cool conditions for the growing season of the 2006 vintage. The other big news out of vintage 2007 was the large reduction in expected crop levels. In some cases expected yields were down 50%. The overall effect however of all the above is that the fruit from this year’s harvest is perfectly ripe, (as is the acid profile) and that fruit flavour and intensity in addition to tannin structure for the reds, is outstanding. This will give great cellaring potential to all those styles suited to longer maturation in bottle
Label Integrity
49% Chenin Blanc, 31% Verdelho, 8% Semillon, 12% Other (Western Australia)
Winemaking
The fruit for this wine was machine-harvested in February during the cool of night. The fruit was immediately processed and underwent a long, slow ferment in stainless steel tanks with a number of selected yeast strains. At the end of fermentation the wine was immediately blended, stabilised, filtered and bottled in May 2007.
Tasting Notes
The 2007 Classic White is made from three varieties eminently suited to the warmer climes, which prevail in the SW of Western Australia. However, given this warmer climate all these varieties have been picked a little, “greener” than they normally would. This strategy gives a grassier and more herbaceous edge to the wine with a somewhat fresher and crisper mouth feel, than would exist had the fruit been left to ripen to full maturity. The nose is brimming with cut grass, fresh honeydew melon and a hint of tropical guava. This all translates to the palate with the added zest provided by the natural acid backbone of the fruit. Certainly this is a drink-now wine. The wine should be served well chilled. Classic White is a great drink just on its own or accompanied with the freshest of foods, particularly seafood.
Assessment
“Tasting the Other White Blends category for Quaff is pretty hard work. These are often ‘bin end’ wines in which it appears that anything that’s left over at the winery is tossed into the vat – resulting in the most unlikely blends and some unconvincing whites. Funnily enough, the best five wines in the tasting were all extremely good quaffing wines: this Sandalford beauty, the 2005 Pike’s ‘Luccio’ Pinot Grigio Sauvignon Blanc Semillon, 2005 De Bortoli ‘Sacred Hill Colombard Chardonnay, 2005 Queen Adelaide Classic Dry white and 2006 Primo Estate ‘La Biondina’ Colombard Sauvignon Blanc. This Sandalford white under their budget-priced ‘Element’ range won a gold medal at the Cairns Show – not usually something that I’d trumpet but, for a wine at this price, worthy of note. The wine itself is a blend of chenin blanc, verdelho and semillon, most of which was sourced from the Swan Valley – an area which is particularly suited to aromatic varieties such as chenin and verdelho. What made this exceptional was the coolest vintage ever in the Swan. Certainly Perth had its coldest December and the summer has been the coolest in 50 years. This meant that the ripening period was longer and slower than usual and so the wines have an unusually cool edge with taut crisp acidity and yet have full flavour ripeness. It’s another triumph for Paul Boulden and the team at Sandaldford, a spectacularly good white blend – perhaps the best I’ve seen in this category in the seven years I have been tasting for Quaff. It is vibrant, bright and pristine, has intense grassy flavours and fresh, zingy acidity that lingers.”
- Quaff, Peter Forrestal’s Wine of the Week, 7 July 2006
“The best wine I’ve seen under the budget-priced Element label. Paul Boulden has transformed an improbable blend of chenin blanc, verdelho and Semillon into a zesty, grassy white with intense clean flavours and refreshing zippy acidity.”
- Peter Forrestal Sunday Times STM Magazine, 3 September 2006
Awards
- Gold Medal at the 2006 Cairns Wine Show
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