Salomon Estate

Bert and Gertrud Salomon are full-time travellers when it comes to wine. In Austria's Kremstal region on the Danube they manage their seventh-generation family estate, Salomon Undhof. Then once vintage is complete in the northern hemisphere, they fly south to Australia to manage Salomon Estate.

Salomon Estate was founded in 1995, originating from great ideas and passions. The first being Bert and Gertrud’s love for the landscape around the Finniss River vineyard. Second, their enjoyment of great red wines and last but not least the enthusiasm they both have for diverse cultures.

The wines here are produced off a single property located on the Finniss River, about 20km southeast of McLaren Vale, where the Adelaide Hills run into the Fleurieu Peninsula. The soils are typically gravel and sand over red and orange sandstone and the vineyard falls gently away towards the northwest providing ideal exposure, warm days ensure ripe fruit flavours while the cooling breezes which roll off the Southern Ocean in the late afternoon ensure excellent acid retention. Here, Australian robustness meets European elegance in a most convincing fashion.

2022 Fleurieu Peninsula Viognier Amphora
100 % Viognier from Fleurieu Peninsula de-stemmed and crushed, fermented in terracotta amphorae, with 45 days on skins, followed by 6 months maturation on fine lees in stainless steel. 13.5 % alc/vol.

2020 Fleurieu Peninsula Syrah-V. Wildflower
92.5 % Syrah and 7.5 % Viognier co-fermented, barrel-aged for 20 months in 300 L hogsheads (primarily French oak, with a small percentage of American oak). A cuvée in the tradition of the northern Rhone Côte-Rôtie region. A deep ruby hue with a bouquet of floral tones, dark berries, tobacco, and soft leather. A lush fruitiness on the palette, with well-meshed tannins. A wine with depth and the utmost elegance, finely fruity and complex in finish. This wine blooms when decanted.

‘7.5% viognier lift the floral notes of the bouquet and takes its vibrant colour right through to the rim. An opulent wine that coats every corner of the mouth, outside the more elegant restraint of some of its siblings. 14.5% alc, screwcap.’ 94 points, James Halliday, The Weekend Australian, February 2022.

2019 Finniss River Braeside Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon - SOLD OUT
100 % Cabernet Sauvignon, matured for 18 months in 300 L hogsheads (50 % new), the oak substantially French, with a small proportion of American. Australian richness combined with elegant Cassis notes. Deep red in color, with a expressive aroma. Fine, concentrated blueberry and blackcurrant on the palate, with hints of dark chocolate. Well-structured and velvety, with fine tannins and a long, nuanced finish.

‘Matured for 18 months in French hogsheads (33% new). Blackcurrant fruit is joined by notes of oak and a whisper of olive tapenade. The mouthfeel of this elegant and medium-bodied cabernet is superb, its freshness doubtless amplified by its modest alcohol, the tannins likewise as the long finish lingers in the mouth. 13.5% alc, screwcap. Drink 2025-2038.’ 95 points, James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion, March 2022.

‘The 2019 Finniss River Sea Eagle Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is earthy, meaty, exotic and very good. This has lashings of mortadella, Szechuan peppercorns, salted pomegranate and star anise, coupled with a robust roll of flavor in the mouth. Like an ocean swell, there is power here, but it never breaks into an outright wave. The warm, dry 2019 vintage has pushed this wine into a compressed and powerful space; it's still vital, though.’ 94 points, Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate, November 2022.

2019 Finniss River Sea Eagle Vineyard Shiraz - SOLD OUT
100 % Shiraz, matured for 18 months in 300 L hogsheads (50 % new), the oak substantially French, with a small proportion of American.

‘Matured for 18 months in French barrels (33% new). A very expressive bouquet yields waves of licorice, dark earth, leather and black fruits, with oak peeping through the curtains; a wine of finesse and elegance. 14% alc, screwcap.’ 95 points, drink to 2039. James Halliday, The Weekend Australian Magazine.

2013 Alttus - last bottle
The highest portion of the vineyard and the best barrels, bottled separately from the Finniss River Shiraz bottling and only released in very limited quantities in exceptional years. Matured in 100 % new French oak for 18 months though in style is more reminiscent of an old school northern Rhone Syrah.
'Tasted blind. Deep purplish crimson. Round, fresh and lively. Very opulent but not heavy. Slightly salty and reminiscent of treacle toffee. Great balance. Powerful and long but not an aggressive blockbuster.' 18.5 points (97/100), Jancis Robinson MW, November 2018.