Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All Vintages
Schild Estate are specialists in producing premium, estate-grown Barossa reds known for their quality and character.
Schild Estate own over 134ha of estate vineyards throughout the Southern Barossa including some of the oldest vines in the world planted in 1847. Spread across 11 unique sites they produce a range of premium fruit. Having such an intimate knowledge of these site allows the winemaking and vineyard teams to achieve an absolute synergy from vineyard to winery to wine.
Under the guidance of Chief Winemaker Scott Hazeldine who works in close collaboration with Head Vigneron, Mick Schild the Schild Estate team are passionate in their belief that the best wines are driven by the unique characteristics of each vineyard which makes Schild Estate wines an authentic reflection of the terroir in the region.
Historically and presently the most important wine-producing region of Australia, the Barossa Valley is set in the Barossa zone of South Australia, where more than half of the country’s wine is made. Because the climate is very hot and dry, vineyard managers work diligently to ensure grapes reach the perfect levels of phenolic ripeness.
The intense heat is ideal for plush, bold reds, particularly Shiraz on its own or Rhône Blends. Often Shiraz and Cabernet partner up for plump and powerful reds.
While much less prevalent, light-skinned varieties such as Riesling, Viognier or Semillon produce vibrant Barossa Valley whites.
Most of Australia’s largest wine producers are based here and Shiraz plantings date back as far as the 1850s or before. Many of them are dry farmed and bush trained, still offering less than one ton per acre of inky, intense, purple juice.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.