;)
Shadowfax Wines won three Trophies at the Macquarie Bank Sydney Royal Wine Show for their 2006 Shadowfax Chardonnay.
The Four Seasons Hotel Sydney Perpetual Trophy - the Best White Wine in premium classes
The Albert Chan Memorial Prize - the Best White Wine of the show (Classes 1 to 3, 15 to 19, 25 to 27 and 30 to 32)
The RAS of NSW Chardonnay Annual Trophy - the Best Chardonnay (Classes 2,3,15,26,27,31 and 32)
“We’re delighted” said winemaker Matt Harrop “We knew we had made a great wine and we’re rapt that the judges agreed.”
Harrop is no stranger to show success having now won 12 trophies since helping to establish Shadowfax in 1999.
Harrop is part of the new breed of winemakers that are moving away from the traditional oak driven style of chardonnay in favor of a fresher, livelier, “new wave” Chardonnay style.
“I’m not sure about the term new wave” said Harrop, “we just try to make wines that we like to drink.”
The fruit for the 2006 Chardonnay was all hand picked and sourced from vineyards in Geelong and Macedon Ranges with some small parcels of fruit from Beechworth and the Cardinia Ranges.
“Over many years, chardonnays have failed to win anything like their share of trophies at the Macquarie Bank Sydney Royal Wine Show...
Quite independently, the Show committee had resolved to create a trophy (as from 2007) for best chardonnay (and for best semillon)....
The big winner was the 2006 Shadowfax Chardonnay, with the Four Seasons Trophy for Best White Wine in the Premium Classes 30-32, previous vintage and older; the RAS Trophy for Best Chardonnay; and the Albert Chan Memorial Prize for Best White Wine of Show.
This 2006 wine (94 points, $28) is in the seamless modern style, with great purity and line, its balance partly from the crosshatch of regional influences, and partly from carefully managed barrel fermentation.” James Halliday 1st March 2008 Winecompanion.com au
