AUSTRALIA WIDE SHIPPING INCLUDED
Colour: Deep garnet.
Nose: The first thing that hits the nose is a rush of sweet, piquant spices – peppercorn, cardamon and star anise – followed closely by dark fruit aromas of black cherry, blackberry and bloodplum, with notes of liquorice and minerally tar, subtle fennel leaf and dark rose florals.
Palate: A rich, dense, fleshy palate of dark purple fruits with a firm yet fine backbone of structural tannins. A wonderful balance of savoury, spicy, earthy and fruity flavours with subtle oak and a spine of acidity playing supporting roles. The finish is long and juicy, with chewy, chocolately tannins that lengthen but don’t overpower.
Peak Drinking: May be enjoyed on release or will gain increased complexity with careful medium to long term cellaring.
A CELEBRATION OF ONE OF THE BAROSSA’S FINEST VARIETIES, UNCLE TONY’S MATARO IS A RICH, DENSE AND FLESHY WINE WITH AROMAS OF SWEET PIQUANT SPICES AND DARK FRUITS, COMPLEXED WITH NOTES OF LIQUORICE, TAR AND DARK ROSE FLORALS. THE FINISH IS LONG AND JUICY WITH CHEWY, CHOCOLATEY TANNINS.
The stately old Mataro vines on Uncle Tony’s vineyard were planted by my grandpa, Otto Kurtz, in the mid 1950s. When planted, they went by the Spanish name Monastrell but later came to be known as Mataro.
My uncle, Tony Kurtz, managed the vineyard from the early 1980s, with the fruit traditionally blended into our Boundary Row GSM. From 2015, I started working with Tony on a straight varietal Mataro, reducing bud numbers, shoot thinning and bunch thinning to achieve optimum vine balance and quality. In 2018 we knew we had the formula right.
The first Uncle Tony’s Mataro, from the 2018 vintage, was bottled but not labelled, to be matured for 2 years or more before release. Unfortunately, Tony passed away in May 2019 and never saw the finished wine. As Tony was fond of saying… “shit happens”. We still source Tony’s Mataro today, with the vineyard ownership now in the capable hands of my cousin, Neil Hahn.
This wine is a tribute to my Uncle Tony. The label bears his likeness, with his characteristic felt hat, bushy moustache and broad smile, along with an old grindstone that belonged to my great grandfather Ben, that still has pride of place at the vineyard today.
Uncle Tony’s Mataro is a delicious match with well-spiced, smoked, and charred foods like lamb kofta, cassoulet, paella, Argentinian T-bone, five-spice duck, sticky barbecued pork ribs or chargrilled vegetables.
Vineyards: Sourced entirely from old vines planted in the mid 1950’s at Uncle Tony’s Mataro vineyard, Light Pass, Barossa Valley.
Vintage Conditions: Good rainfall in Winter and Spring of 2021 saw excellent soil moisture levels and ensured a good growing season leading into Vintage 2022. Some inclement weather conditions during the flowering period resulted in a variable fruit set so cropping levels were naturally reduced. Good rainfall in February resulted in an even ripening period, relatively stress-free ripening and overall a good growing season.
Winemaking: Fermented in a small, open fermenter and hand-plunged to optimise colour, flavour and tannin extraction. Post-ferment, the wine was left on skins for 10 days to further enhance palate length and structure. After pressing, the wine was matured in seasoned French oak for 28 months.
