Winemaker Notes
A blend of 3 different vineyards, aged up to about 130 years of age. All are low yielding, and on 3 distinct soil types. The Kalimna block (130yrs old) is on grey sandy soil, almost like a beach. This provides great fragrance and perfume. The palate is quite light and has soft, fine tannin. The Penrice block (50yrs old) also has great perfume, but a more soulful palate. Soils here are classic Barossa Valley floor, ie rich dark loam. The third block, in Greenock, has great sub-regional mid palate focus, with a slightly less aromatic profile. Notes of black pepper, dried tobacco and flavors of black olive, blackberry bramble with a soft oregano finish. Soils here are characterized by light yellow loam, with ironstone flecks. The sum of all three sites produce a wine with lifted perfume, and great mid palate drive. Old world winemaking methods, larger format French oak, unfined/unfiltered.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Tim Smith’s touch with Mataro is a deft one, sending it into ever more fleshy, fruitful and attractive territory. This is packed with red-plum and tarry aromas and moves to a ripe, rich and sweetly fleshy mode on the palate. Plush and sultry
Full of ripe fruit, and robust, earthy goodness, Mourvèdre is actually of Spanish provenance, where it still goes by the name Monastrell or Mataro. It is better associated however, with the Red Blends of the Rhône, namely Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Mourvèdre shines on its own in Bandol and is popular both as a single varietal wine in blends in the New World regions of Australia, California and Washington. Somm Secret—While Mourvèdre has been in California for many years, it didn’t gain momentum until the 1980s when a group of California winemakers inspired by the wines of the Rhône Valley finally began to renew a focus on it.
The Barossa Zone encompasses the Barossa Valley and Eden Valley. Some of the oldest vines in Australia can be found here.
Barossa Valley of course is the most important and famous wine growing region in all of Australia where 140+ year-old, dry-farmed Shiraz vines still produce inky, purple and dense juice for some of Australia's best wines.
In the cooler, wetter Eden Valley sub-region, the Hill of Grace vineyard is home to famous Shiraz vines from the 1800s but the region produces also some of Australia’s very best and age-worthy Rieslings.