Give this a good decant before drinking, just helps bring some of the fruit through and create a more enjoyable Mataro drinking experience. Initially it's quite a 'woody' wine, get through that and you'll see hallmark notes of dark cherry and plum, supported by some spice on the nose, star anise and clove for me.
Smooth on entry, moreishly so, grainy tannin provides textural interest, the spice a counterpoint to this and the fruit that flows into the palate.
There's good length too, it's more of the same spice - a hint of liquorice - and fruit; carried, propelled by the tannin. For me and my Mataro addiction I'd have liked to have seen more classic fruit character coming through on the nose.
I had the privilege of tasting a barrel sample (still going through malolactic conversion) and I'm really looking forward to that wine, it's already exhibiting fantastic depth and intensity of flavour, an aromatic profile of depth and intensity - what I have come to expect in this varietal. 90/91 - Good/ Very Good
Source: Gift
Price: $30
Alcohol: 14.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.pyramidsroad.com.au
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Tried this out at Brisbane Gd Fd & Wine Show last year and very impressed. Elegant and sophisticated.Only down side was I left it too long too do a wine swap. A solid 92 pts for me.
ReplyDeleteThe 2011 will be available at the Good Food and Wine Show in Brisbane in November. Come and see me early Chris.
DeleteChris, thanks again for your comment. Look forward to hearing detailed thoughts when you pick up a bottle at The Wine Experience :)
DeleteSounds interesting! Not the kind of wine I usually drink... Love the sound of liquorice-ness though!
ReplyDeleteMatt, liquorice is quite a common descriptor in wines. In Mataro I often see it as Black or Dutch liquorice. Some wines it is more of a red liquorice/ cough candy element. Another good thing with Mataro, it is often left unfiltered - as the Shobbrook one you'd have tasted at Swirl, Sniff, Spit would have beeb.
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