Oakley Road Vineyard Mataro

PNP way too young I know. But holy cow what a funky nose right out of the gate. All sorts of green and brown vegetation, very weedy, but tons of dark fruit underneath. So soft in the mouth — which surprised me since I was expecting it to be way too tannic. Deep savory flavors. Great balance. So much character packed and stuffed into this one. Will update as it gains air.

UPDATE: As this gains air, the initial vegetative, weedy notes are being replaced with very pure blackberry liqueur scents and whiffs of smoky sandalwood.

Several wineries take fruit from the old, sandy vineyards in Contra Costa. Some make wines over 15% and the jammy fruit overshadows the other complex earthy notes. Others try to pick artificially early to get dry cranberry juice cocktail. This wine nails the sweet spot. Balance, complexity, and drinkability.

Flowers and chocolate. Rose, lavender, hibiscus and milk chocolate. Aging well.

Part of a double-blind, side-by-side between the 2017 Sandlands Mataro, which also happens to be from Contra Costa County. Opened and allowed both bottles to slow-ox about three hours prior to our guests arriving. Slightly deeper in color. The nose was lingonberries and dusty earth. On the palate, there were plums and spices. This comes across more round than the Sandlands and has the silkiest of deliveries. Medium tannins but they seemed to grow as time went on.

Given the structure, I expect these to continue aging very well. At this stage, this comes across as a very elegant wine. The Oakley Road Vineyard is own-rooted and dry-farmed; planted 117 years ago. 352 cases.

Once & Future is a fairly new project headed up by Joel Peterson (yes, that Joel Peterson). Alongside this Mataro (Mourvèdre), the portfolio also includes Petite Sirah, merlot, and a killer line up of zins (of course, he is a bit of a zin master). Even some use of Bedrock vineyard in tandem with his son.

I’m fairly certain this is my first 100% Mataro (Mourvèdre). The color of this wine is one of the most gorgeous shades of purple I’ve ever seen...as though it’s mixed with a faint hue of magenta. This is a wine that could almost be enjoyed by nose alone...absolutely divine. Brambly fruits, huckleberry, baked blackberries that were just freshly squeezed. Potpourri. Though “only” 14.5ABV, it feels quite less. The palate is fairly light. Lots of tart dark fruits, cardamom, baking spices and plum. Great finish. @Jake Rubash , I’ve enjoyed our convos about this wine, thanks for the info!

It’s worth noting I had this open (in bottle) for an hour or so yesterday and while the nose was there, the palate wasn’t ready. Re-corked and was much better the next day.

Expressive, gentle, flavorful long finish

High-toned, effusive, pure. A very harmonious wine that was alluring on all fronts. Black raspberry fruit leather, bramble, blood orange, santa rosa plum, juniper, peony, eucalyptus, sandal wood, exotic spices.

Of course it's not Petite Sirah but since Delectable no longer follows up on wines it cannot identify (still waiting on wines from Christmas to be ID'd) the only way to get it into my feed is to sneak it in under an assumed name. Kind of like an illegal alien. This Mataro rocks!

Excellent. Has evolved well. Beam of red fruit.

Has evolved nicely. Very good.

Rescuing my baby home from a recent work trip with this delicious new find. Heavier than your Pinot but lighter than a blend. Juicy, fruit forward with a wonderful Cali breeze to the nose…kinda like how my baby hits me with her Luciousness. Definitely a repeat and option for the home staple.