Gonzalo Sánchez
Gonzalo Sánchez brings international flair to the McLaren Vale. After graduating from the winemaking school at Universidad Juan Agustina Maza in Mendoza, Argentina, he quickly racked up an impressive list of international whistle-stops, working vintages in California’s Napa Valley, Portugal’s Dão, and Germany’s Pfalz before finding his vinous forever home in Australia. Fresh off stints at iconic Australian producers Mount Langi Ghiran and Wirra Wirra, Sanchez took on the lead winemaker role at McLaren Vale’s Lloyd Brothers in 2021 – leading a significant change in the business’s operations, and sharpening its focus as a producer. Here he makes a number of wines from fruit sourced from Lloyd Brothers’ vineyards in the Vale and in the Adelaide Hills, ranging from the traditional – McLaren shiraz; Hills sauvignon blanc – to the unorthodox: a sparkling wine made from picpoul and prosecco; a shiraz and pinot noir blend inspired by Maurice O’Shea’s pioneering Hunter blends. As if this weren’t enough, he also squeezes in time to run an Australian–Argentinian wine brand, Sánchez M. (alongside his sister, Rocia), a vineyard, Los Aromos (with his wife, Kate), and a spirit brand, Tiny Friday. An irrepressible character within the Vale’s tight-knit winemaking community, Sánchez clearly has energy to burn and no shortage of ideas.
