2016 Ess & See Mataro McLaren Vale

Mataro? What’s that? If the grape name doesn’t ring a bell, you’re most likely familiar with the grape under its more frequently used name, Mourvèdre. Mataro actually has a long history in Australia, and McLaren Vale is one of the regions where it thrives.

Ess & See is a project from Australia’s Five O-Clock Somewhere Wines where founder and legendary Aussie winemaker Steve Grimley leads a group of passionate, young winemakers and wine-lovers who craft collections of wine that are inspired, inventive and engaging.

Grimley’s own exclusive collection under the Five O-Clock Somewhere umbrella is Ess & See. Under this label, he creates what he calls “wines that are interesting, purposeful and honest in a dare-to-be-great environment.” He sources the grapes for Mataro from a single vineyard in the McLaren Vale subregion Blewitt Springs and uses his finely honed winemaking skills to create a fruity, earthy, savory wine from the grapes grown in the region’s cool, sandy soils.

Ess & See Mataro is small production. Grimley makes about 100 cases of each vintage, and we have just a small allotment of this intriguing wine that’s made its way out of Australia and into our hands. We’re thrilled to give you the chance to get it into your hands at a price that’s over 30% off.

Aging: On the lees in used French barriques for 10 months

Aromas of red, ripe currant and red berries with loads of herbs including mint are mimicked on the palate where the fruits get a bit darker and are joined by refreshing acid. Medium-bodied with powdery tannins.

Both rustic and delicate, this mates cool red fruit to warm mineral tannins, then lasts in a bright spark of fruit-skin flavor. It grows in Blewitt Springs, at a sandy vineyard where the Mataro vines are close to 80 years old, the grapes fermented mostly as whole berries, destemmed, and aged in used French barriques. A sunny red that speaks of a hot, arid place, this has the scent of Aussie scrub and the meatiness of the local game that you might grill to match it. ~92 Wine & Spirits (v.2015)

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