Exports have reached another dismal low and our large wine companies must be very nervous. On the home front it is better though prices have moved higher and higher and must be at danger levels. Somehow these strains are combining in some complex way, so Glug is now being offered small amounts, ex barrel, of exceptional quality reds and whites. Boutique wineries must protect their premium image, and this is ruined if they discount a surplus to their customers. Hence, they get on the phone to Glug.
So, this Barossa Mataro is indeed a limited release as we bottled 22 dozen. We kept the rest to blend into other brands like Karrawirra.
I have a fondness for Mataro and those vineyards that survived the vine pull scheme of the 1980s are now preserved as consumers have matured. Mataro needs a long seasonal ripening which makes the Barossa Valley the perfect home. The hanging grapes taste a tad weedy well after the Shiraz and Cabernet are picked then one day, often into Autumn, the flavour shifts to hints of a freshly baked, golden biscuit. I do not normally use tasting notes so forgive that enthusiasm. Mataro deserves it.