Look at the labels, read about how the names Snake and Herring were bestowed, take out the wine stuff and you have a whimsical childrens’ bedtime storybook. Now don’t get me (or Snake and Herring) wrong: the fantasy is mine, and this is not a case of grooming children to believe that wine is anything other than a very nasty drink that only stupid adults consume.
The two actors are Tony Davies (Snake) and Redmond Sweeny (Herring). Davies enrolled at the University of Adelaide in Science and Engineering and discovered the shortcomings of exploring for gold in the Tanami Desert with a six-week-on, one-week-off rotation. After several years of drifting he stumbled across Margaret River and enrolled in wine science at Roseworthy Campus. Vintages in both hemispheres followed, then his first real job, three years at Plantagenet; then Brown Brothers; next a senior winemaking role at Yalumba; then a six-year stint designing Millbrook Winery in the Perth Hills for the Fogarty Wine Group; and a final four years with Howard Park Wines in Margaret River.
Sweeny had no idea what he wanted to do but thought stockbroking might be rewarding so he enrolled in Commerce at the University of Western Australia. He quickly realised this was not his life-to-be, having to confront a “seriously annoyed parent” at the end of the year. Things moved quickly with university vacations, the first spent in the wheat belt of the Great Southern (where he met his wife-to-be); the second working in a bottle shop. With the cunning more appropriate for a snake than a herring, after graduation he got a job with an international accounting firm in Busselton (gateway to Margaret River) and completed postgraduate work for his chartered accounting degree.
His first step into wine was at Abbey Vale, which turned out to be a stepping stone for the formation in 2001 of Forester Estate in partnership with Kevin McKay. The final step was the meeting of Snake and Herring and the establishment of their eponymous winery prior to the 2010 vintage.
2011 Snake + Herring Teardrop Mt Barker Great Southern Riesling
Pale quartz-green; a lovely wine that at this stage has more expressive lime juice fruit flavours running through the length of the palate; great aftertaste. More advanced than the High and Dry Porongurup Riesling of Snake + Herring; in five or so years’ time the Porongurup will ring all the bells.
12% alc; screwcap; 95 points; drink to 2020; $28
2011 Snake + Herring Perfect Day Margaret River Sauvignon Blanc Semillon
This is a blend of 75% Karridale sauvignon blanc and 25% Wilyabrup semillon, 80% tank fermented and 20% of the sauvignon blanc wild fermented in used oak, both with five months on lees. The snake and herring meet each other on the striking label; both the bouquet and palate have an extra degree of varietal fruit fused together so tightly you can’t decide where the sauvignon blanc ends and the semillon kicks in. That said, cut grass and herb notes claim equal billing with melon and tropical notes.
12.5% alc; screwcap; 94 points; drink to 2014; $23
2011 Snake + Herring Tough Love Karridale Margaret River Chardonnay
85% Gin Gin clone, 15% Dijon clone; 70% tank fermented, 30% whole bunch pressed and barrel fermented in 10% new and 20% used barrels. Bright quartz-green; a youthful chardonnay already showing its class, with nectarine, white peach and grapefruit woven together by subtle oak; the texture and mouthfeel are excellent. Like all the Snake + Herring wines, contract-grown to the highest standards.
12.5% alc; screwcap; 94 points; drink to 2017; $23