TURKEY FLAT VINEYARDS 2022 MATARO ($50 / Barossa Valley, SA)
Who has heard of the Spanish red grape variety Monstrell? No, well you will know it under the French name of Mourvedre (hard to pronounce, spell & remember) or under the easier to use Aussie name of Mataro- the 3M’s.
Grown mainly in Spain (Valencia & Jumilla), France (Rhone & Provence) it has also spread to California, South Africa and Australia.
Here in Australia there are quite a few very old vines as Mataro used to be used in the production of fortified wines in the first half of the 20th Century. It is mainly used as a blender in GSM (Grenache, Shiraz, Mataro) blends or SGM blends, where it adds a bit of body and structure to the blend.
3M’s loves sunshine but needs quite a bit of water in order to produce its big rich, high alcohol tannic wines. The resultant varietal wine usually has a slightly gamey flavour coupled with red berries, and can be jammy, herbaceous or even smell a little “barnyardy” if not handled properly.
Whilst fairly rare a varietal Mataro, like this week’s wine can be an utter joy to behold.
TRULY EXCELLENT
This outstanding mataro/ monastrell / mourvedre, along with the other top-shelf Turkey Flat Vineyards wines are worth checking out on www.turkeyflat.com.au
Have a great week, always choose Australianwine and when possible enjoy emergingvarieties.
Dan Traucki