These Margaret River wines come with a dash of fun
You might wonder why a first-up winery in Margaret River would be named Snake + Herring when many people have a morbid fear of snakes, and herrings are an acquired taste
You might wonder, as I did, why a first-up winery in Margaret River would be named Snake + Herring. Many people have a morbid fear of snakes, and herrings are an acquired taste. The two founders came together on the rebound from university courses they had enrolled in. Once they had come together in Margaret River in 2011, their sense of fun became part of a very successful business.
Tony (Snake) Davis is the winemaker and co-founder who gained his nickname for his handy sidestep on touch-footy fields. Redmond (Herring) Sweeny, the other co-founder, is a fisherman and fearless surfer who works on the proviso that if Tony makes it, he will sell it. When he’s not driving the forklift, he’s keeping an eye on the books and spearheading all sales and marketing, and was the president of Wines of Western Australia for six years.
When Snake + Herring crossed my desk for the first time in 2013, its annual production was a handy 3000 dozen bottles; today it is 12,000 dozen. But there’s more to come. Wineries have an insatiable thirst for capital investment in buildings, equipment, fermenters, presses, barrels, bottling lines and vineyards. The only assets owned by Snake + Herring are a press and the barrels. They have the ability to make all the decisions on their annual grape intake. They have long term leases of two vineyards (8.6ha in total) and 20ha of conventionally grown vineyards supplying grapes on an as-needed basis. Voyager Estate supplies winery space for grape intake and space for the press and barrels, and Steve James (coincidentally ex-Voyager Estate) consults on Snake + Herring’s vineyard operations.
A partnership of two has taken a plunge in opening Dunsborough’s Yarri Restaurant and bar, which has luxuriated in critical acclaim. Owned by Redmond and Rachael Sweeny, Sal and Tony Davis, and Aaron Carr and Kym Eyres, they opened it with a plan to offer a broad-based wine list and fine food.
2022 Snake + Herring Corduroy Karridale Chardonnay
The Karridale subregion is at the southern end of Margaret River, cooled by the Southern Ocean. This wine speaks loudly about its birthplace, grapefruit and Granny Smith apple gently kissed by French oak barrel fermentation. Its balance and length are impeccable, purity its watchword.
96 points; drink to 2026; 12.5% alc; screwcap; $50
2022 Snake + Herring Outshined Wilyabrup Cabernet Sauvignon
This is for anyone who wants a cabernet sauvignon but doesn’t have the patience to wait for its tannins to soften. Don’t think there aren’t any – it’s just that the mouthfeel is evenly split between fruit, texture and structure, cassis and bay leaf.
95 points; drink to 2037; 14% alc; screwcap; $40
2019 Snake + Herring Cannonball Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon + Cabernet Franc + Petit Verdot + Merlot
A 64/17/13/6% blend, matured for 15 months in French puncheons and barriques (41% new). Aromas of cedar/cigar box, and a medium-bodied palate that’s lively and fresh – yet will not lose any of its appeal as the wine ages and nuances develop.
95 points; drink to 2035; 14% alc; screwcap; $45