Category:Mataro

July 17
Izway Barossa Valley “Mates” Grenache/Mataro 2012

To state the bleeding obvious, winter is here and geez is it bloody cold!!! Seriously, this is the coldest winter I have had since 1997 in France – that was cold. I think the big reason for the ‘coldicity’ (just made a word up) is that autumn was also cold, so I guess it is ‘cold2’. Now with this coldicity upon us one of the great cures is red wine, and this wine I think may just be that cure, that saviour if you will. The Izway “Mates” Grenache/Mataro 2012 from the Barossa Valley is exactly the wine that is made for cold weather. Why you ask? Just is, is the short answer. But that will not suffice.

The nose has layers of complex aromas of autumnal earth – think wet tilled earth, master stock and rich dark fruit. The palate again has complex and rich notes of mushroom soy, spice, master stock, and rich and velvety dark fruit.

It’s also poring#BTG in the wine bar right now!!!

It’s truly delish and $28 always

March 13
Torbreck ‘The Steading’ 2011 – A gem from a tough mother of a vinatge

SteadingFor those in the know, the 2011 vintage was tough. Real TOUGH. Pretty much the entire SE Australian growing regions suffered from either mildew rot, under ripe fruit or both. A great many producers didn’t even bother picking due to not been aloud to spray Copper/Sulfur because of organic/bio certification.

So when a lot of 2011 wines were first released a lot of ‘wine experts’ out there pretty much wrote them off due to them being products of a tough vintage. A lot of producers have even said to me that wine buyers wouldn’t even look at the 2011 gear just because of said wine experts comments. Pretty dumb really. It doesn’t cost anything to have an opinion but you will always be found out when you rely on the opinion of others.

So then, to the wine from 2011. The Torbreck ‘The Steading’ Barossa Valley Grenach/Shiraz/Mataro 2011. In vintages past this wine has been big and brooding and quintessential Barossa Alpha wine. A cooler vintage however has created a more perfumed and elegant beast.

I must add here that these days I don’t generally rate wines by variety but more so to style and flavour; so many varieties these days are interchangable that to do it just on variety would I reckon negate so many other parameters. But I digress.

Back to the wine. The nose has a very pronounced floral and spice edge to it with dried rose petals and roasted brown spice mixing it up. The palate starts very elegant with tart blackberry coming through. The mid palate almost feels green with an almost soft hoppy note that are it’s tannins which then moves in to a black olive tapenadey feel; real concentrated black olive. A cracking wine from one tough muffa of a vintage.

Drink with a fancy steak sanga and $40 always