On its many synonyms, I've seen Oz Clarke write: "the name Mourvèdre is supplanting that of Mataro in Australia as demand for old vine fruit soars. Aficionados reckon that if you call it Mataro, you don't take it seriously". Oh really.
It's generally regarded that the best examples come from older vines. It's not the easiest variety to work with, being said "to like its face in the sun and its feet in the water" generally indicating a preference for Southerly aspects on clay.
So, to my surprise this wine comes off of a 2 acre block planted in 1998: plummy, blackcurrant, leathery and inky in colour and aroma. Through the middle, a touch of creamy oak.
The winery were helpful in explaining that their small block is on sandy ironstone - well drained - stressing the vines and forcing them down in search of the water Mataro (my preferred name) loves. Careful management - cropping at around 2 tonnes/acre - to ensure ripeness and deliver the intensity of this wine's finish. Spicy, rich, intense; some chewy tannin in the mix too.
What I like about Mataro, is that - possibly like me - it's quite simple. A good team player, yet also in the right circumstances it broods, it growls, it delivers. And this wine shows incredible balance - a consistent element of Yangarra wines. Overall the parts work.
Source: Retail
Price: $32
Alcohol: 14.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.yangarra.com/
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[This item was edited at 13:06 on 06/07/2011 to correct the geology of the site from Sandy Gravel to Sandy Ironstone]
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