Australia > Schild Estate

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Founded in 1952 by Ben Schild, Schild Estate is a family owned vineyard & winery producing fine Barossa wines primarily from Cabernet and Shiraz.  They work their land as naturally as possible, covering the exposed soil with straw to provide shade and moisture to encourage earthworms which keep the soil loose.  Most of the land is dry-farmed with only occasional irrigation needed.

Ben unfortunately died very young and the estate was taken over by his son Ed at only sixteen years old. Today the estate is managed by Ben’s son Ed, for whom the 2018 harvest was his 64th vintage at the helm, his son Michael, on his 33rd year as vinyard manager, and recently joined by the fourth generation in Michael’s son Angus, 17 years old and already on his third vintage on the estate.

Their wines receive frequent accolades from the James Halliday, Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast, Tanzer and the Advocate and they are considered one of the finest estates in Barossa.  Production is around 50,000 cases annually, all from old vines, as they sell off around 70% of their production and only keep the best fruit for their own wines. Their  wines are known for balance, great depth of flavor and consistency as as well as superb quality and reflection of the Barossa's terroir.

Unwooded Chardonnay: Schild Estate’s approach to making Chardonnay starts with site selection and vineyard location.  The 40-year-old vines are planted in the cooler locations of the Barossa Valley to provide acid backbone and tautness along with lower lying valley-floor sites to bring fresh intense fruit flavors to the mix. This delicate balancing act is then supported in this particular style through techniques such as lees stirring to provide texture and body, resulting in a rich but still bright and elegant style perfect for pairing with foods.

Grenache/Mourvedre/Shiraz[GMS]: This blend of Grenache Mourvedre and Shiraz is an homage to the great wines of the Southern Rhone but with a distinctly Barossan accent.  These three classic red wine varieties are blended to showcase the unique qualities of each while ensuring balance, purity of fruit, and the utmost drinkability.  Average age of these vines are around 90 years and the old Bush Vine Grenache vines are over 100 years.   

Barossa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon: The Estate Cabernet is a genuine expression of this great variety form a select part of the Barossa.  The winery's goal has been to produce a wine with great varietal definition and a real sense of place.  Sourced from 4 vineyards on the property, age of vines 40-85 years. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1 year in new/old French oak. 

Barossa Valley Merlot: The Merlot is sourced from high on the eastern edge of the Barossa Valley off our Angus Brae and Three Springs vineyards.  Here, sheltered hillsides and cooling afternoon gully winds coming down form Eden Valley temper the warm Barossa sunshine and ensure ideal conditions for ripening our Merlot grapes.

Barossa Valley Shiraz: Their flagship wine, 90+ points from the Wine Spectator in almost every year since 2004, many placements in the “top 100” wines of the year.  Sourced from 4 vineyards on the Schild Estate, average of vines 40-130 years. The vineyards are located in the southern part of the Barossa where it is a little cooler and they get a little more rainfall than other parts of the area.  They do not see the heat spikes that jack up the fruit/Alcohol that produce the “jet fuel” type wines that have given the area a bad name... this is a perfect balance of power and balance.  1 year in new/old French/American oak.  Suckling 91 pts.

Shiraz “Ben Schild Reserve:” Fruit from our Angus Brae vineyard, where the vines are over 80 years old. The  wine spends 2 years in new/old French/American/Hungarian oak and 2 years in bottle before release. Packed 6 per case, limited- only about 300 6pk per year for the USA.

Grenache “Ed Schild Reserve:” Produced from ancient goblet-trained bush vines, this wine is long and intense with a beautiful, complex finish. The wine sees 2 years in a mix of old and new oak. Packed 6 per case, extremely limited.

Moorooroo Ancient Vine Shiraz: This world renowned vineyard is over 170 years old, and was planted by Johan and William Jacob in 1847, just 11 years after the foundation of South Australia. The block is situated between Jacob's Creek and the North Para River, hence the name Moororoo which is an Aboriginal term meaning "meeting of two waters."  According to the Barossa Old Vine Charter, the Moorooroo Vineyard falls into the category of ‘Ancestor Vines’ as the vine’s genetic material has helped populate Barossa Vineyards.  Only 4 rows of these ancient vines remain, producing around 1200 bottles of wine per year, of which about 300 ship to the USA.  The 2018 received scores of 93 (Spectator) and 95 (Vinous) - here’s the Spectator note: Creamy and lush, with milk chocolate-covered cherries, salted caramel, kirsch and spiced plum notes. Despite the generous and rich core, this shows restraint and balance, offering velvety tannins, accents of toasted cumin, tobacco and a whiff of palo santo. The finish is long and expressive. Drink now through 2042. —M.W. Packed 6/case, extremely limited.

Sparkling Shiraz: Uniquely Australian and heartily embraced in the Barossa, Sparkling Shiraz has been a part of the Schild family's stable of wines from their earliest days.  Ed Schild quickly realized that the soft dark berry fruit, fine tannins and vibrant acidity found in their Barossa Shiraz fruit sourced from in and around Lyndoch in the southern Barossa made it an area ideally suited to making this unique and delicious sparkler.  Finished with just a touch of sweetness, this deep red wine sports a bright pink mousse, intense berry fruit, and a long, spicy finish.