2021 Shadowfax Minnow Grenache Mataro

2021 Shadowfax Minnow Grenache Mataro is a single-vineyard wine grown on our Shadowfax site in Werribee.
It was a long, cool growing season in Werribee. A settled flowering led to good crop levels. Careful canopy management and crop thinning were required. A late summer with warm days and cool nights allowed fruit to reach full flavour ripeness, while retaining good acid structure. Fruit thinning encouraged full tannin ripeness.
This is a blend of 50% Grenache and 50% Mataro from our 25-year-old vines. We carefully handpicked the Grenache portion, which then went through 100% natural, whole-bunch fermentation in an open fermenter. This led to some carbonic maceration characters, such as blueberry fruit notes. The Mataro underwent wild fermentation using whole berries only, with gentle daily hand plunges to extract fine tannins. The wine was then pressed and left to rest in older French hogsheads for nine months prior to racking and bottling.
In the glass the wine is dark red to black with a ruby hue. On the nose blueberries and dark plum fruits are complexed by some briary spice. Violets, ginger and bloody notes add complexity. The fun and vibrant palate has violet and blue fruits at its core. There is a plenty of space on the palate lending this wine perfectly to a range of foods. The tannins are fine and dusty with a savoury crunch giving lovely texture and drive. The long and lingering palate remains fresh, lending itself to that second or third glass. – Al Timms, Shadowfax