Allegiance Wines The Artisan McLaren Vale Mataro 2020
- 93
- $40
- Drink by: 2023-2033
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The fruit for this fine Aussie Mataro hails from a single vineyard in the Sellicks Hill sub-region of the McLaren Vale, planted over twenty years ago. Fermentation on skins for ten days, before transfer to a wide range of oak formats of different ages for the next 18 months. Dense inky black/purple. This wine has a nose redolent of dark berries, chocolate and warm earth. Furry tannins giving serious grip. There is real power here as aniseed notes emerge across the palate. Good concentration and very good persistence in this impressive local Mataro which will drink well for a good decade.
Ken was born and bred in Brisbane, Queensland. He had a non-trendy, perfectly happy childhood, in a family convinced alcohol meant instant condemnation to Hades. But a break fishing on the Great Barrier Reef, and some good wine, started a serious obsession that eventually took over. It did not stop Ken being chastised later for drinking Pol champagne, disgusted he’d drink anything made by a Cambodian dictator. Now, Ken mostly writes on wine, champagne and spirits for various newspapers, magazines and books, but is perhaps best known for his work in The Courier Mail. He also has a little sideline writing on cigars, fishing, travel and food. When not writing, fly-fishing for trout in NZ or bonefish on the flats of Cuba, travelling or smoking cigars, he is no doubt following a variety of sporting teams – the occasionally glorious Queensland Reds rugby, the dysfunctional Washington Redskins, the dodgy Arsenal and especially revels in the world restored to its proper axis with the return of the Ashes to their rightful home.
