Cellar Door Price 90aud.
This single vineyard planted in 1853 is almost certainly the world’s oldest planting of Mourvedre. It is just one hectare and a priceless part of the Barossa landscape. As you might imagine with such old vine fruit and a single vineyard, the wine is a true reflection of the soils and the region. It has savoury dried herb and earthy dark plums plus a spicy, slightly sage-like and ferrous character that’s sustained to a very long finish. A little rhubarb pie character adds further complexity to the palate. A super example of this variety. Price: $90.00; Drink to: 2023 - 2031; Rating: 98 Points; Ray Jordan
A rare wine, a rare tasting experience, one that brings the flavours of the soil and the grape together with the emotional connection that comes with drinking wine off the oldest Mourvèdre vineyard in the world. Fills the mouth and the senses with a seemingly youthful intensity, robust tannins and then you come across a sub-strain of savouriness, followed by chocolate, woodsy spiced oak. It sends the senses wild. What a generous, flavourful, surprising, mouthful. Price: $90.00; Drink to: 2023 - 2036; Rating: 97 Points; Jeni Port
The 1853-planted Old Garden vineyard is thought to be the oldest mourvèdre vineyard in the world. Eight years ago I spoke at a symposium in Alicante and took along a bunch of Australian mourvèdre/mataro to show the winemakers and journos. This particular wine caused quite a stir, and the overwhelming response was that the Australian examples of the variety looked more European than European wines. It shows such amazing balance, tension and detail ... all meaty dark and black fruits, exotic spice, biscuity oak and amaro herbs. Savoury and wild, it is the benchmark for the variety in Australia for good reason. Drink to: 2035; Alcohol: 14%; Rating: 96 Points; James Halliday Wine Companion
