Blewitt Springs, McLaren Vale
Chenin Blanc 100%
12.5% Alc
30 Years Old Vine
2024 was a reasonably mild growing season, low rainfall.
The vintage period was again quite mild allowing for gentle even ripening, yields were around average, which for McLaren Vale is generally quite low compared to other regions.
Chenin Blanc is grown on 30 year old vines at the Willamba vineyard in the Blewitt Springs region of McLaren Vale. One of the highest areas of the Vale and about 15km inland. Very mild climate and gully breezes. Deep rich sand and loam mix over a clay base. Grapes were selectiv® machine harvested in the cool before dawn, and then left briefly on skins, 6 hours, before pressing 50% to a stainless steel tank for fermentation with a light amount of solids, and 50% to be fermented in seasoned oak. The finished wine was stored on lees in seasoned oak for 3 months prior to bottling. No acid additions.
A bright summer fruited wine, lemon zest and tropical aromas with a textured palate.
JS93
Sherrah Chenin Blanc 2024
Sherrah Wines is a boutique family run wine producer of hand crafted, small batch wines, using fruit from some of McLaren Vale's best growers. We specialise in Fiano, Chenin Blanc, Nero d'Avola, Grenache and Shiraz, making a variety of styles including Petillant-Naturel, dry white wines, textural skin contact white, Rose, preservative free, red blends and single vineyard wines. Sherrah was named in James Hallidays Top Ten New Producers 2019 and were awarded five stars in 2020. We have won numerous medals and trophies at Wine Shows and have been top 50 finalists in the Young Gun of Wine for a number of years. SHERRAH is 100% McLaren Vale.
The Sherrah Story (thus far…)
Following a misspent youth I completed a BSc in Organic Chemistry and Pharmacology and took off to travel the world, returning broke and in need of a job, I snagged a vintage at Tatachilla in McLaren Vale. Working with the most talented ratbags of the Vale, I developed a love of the winemaking lifestyle (or what I thought it was)… work hard and party hard.
The Science degree came in handy and I was able to complete a Graduate Diploma in Oenology at the Waite University while working Fridays at Tatachilla, earning the moniker ‘Boy Friday’ - turning up each Friday in time to do some work and then enjoy the weekly BBQ. Two vintages at Tatachilla was followed by a jaunt in the Napa, where I was lucky enough to work at Kendall Jackson’s crown jewel, Cardinale Estate, making ultra-premium Bordeaux based varieties.
Before returning home I secured a job at Knappstein in the Clare Valley, where I worked for two years before moving to O’Leary Walker Wines (also Clare) and stayed there for 6 years. While at O’Leary Walker I was able to complete vintages in Burgundy and Austria.
At the end of 2011 I moved to McLaren Vale and Coriole, where I became Senior Winemaker in 2012 and remained until late 2017. Involved in this right from my Tatachilla days, my girlfriend became my wife, and two kids ensued.
Winemaking for me is very hands on and gut instinct, the piece of paper gets you the job, but the skill is learnt doing the job. In a very traditional sense, I believe wine is made in the vineyard, but intelligent and considered handling of fruit in the winery is crucial. The purpose of SHERRAH is to showcase the varieties I believe are best suited to the amazing region of McLaren Vale, truly one of the finest places to grow grapes in the world.
Working with excellent sites farmed by first rate growers – many who I have worked with for numerous years – allows me to access small parcels of quality fruit.
Wine to me is not about tasting blackcurrant and cigar box but how the wine ‘feels’ to drink. Flavour is obviously a big part of this, but how does the wine flow from front to back palate? It should transition effortlessly from first smell and sip to swallow, aftertaste and lingering influence of tannin and acid. I believe in balance, a great wine should have no sharp edges, it should have beautiful smooth curves from front to back.