San Benito County Mataro

Popped and poured, consumed over two days. Consistent throughout. The 2021 Mataro, San Benito County pours a deep ruby color moving toward magenta rim and a near opaque core. Medium viscosity with very light staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine explodes with fresh, perfectly ripe bramble fruits: black berries and raspberries, purple flowers, black pepper, crushed rocky earth with limestone minerals and subtle warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannins and medium+ acid. The tannins are almost silky…but sneaky. Confirming the notes from the nose and the raspberries are even more obvious right now. The finish is long. This is an awesome Mataro that’s drinking really well right now and I anticipate a bright future too. Drink now through 3036.

This guy @Tegan Passalacqua cant stop drinking these babies. It’s hard to let them age because so graceful and textured even in their youth. Remarkable texture for a 13% abv wine. Nice work sandlands crew. Keep it coming

In anticipation of the 2019 fall release of Sandlands, I figured I should open something from my 2018 allocation. The fruit from the San Benito Mataro was sourced from the Enz Vineyard which, I believe is the only active vineyard in the Lime Kiln Valley AVA. However, the Enz vineyard has some of the oldest vines in all of California . I have found that Sandlands Mataro benefit from significant air and this was no exception. In the glass, the wine is bright ruby with a flashy magenta rim; medium viscosity. On the nose, lingonberries, cranberries, red flowers and black pepper. It actually smells spicy. On the palate, again tart red berries with some black pepper. Super primary at this stage with sneaky tannins (medium) that seem to build over time. Acid is high and the somewhat bitter finish is loaded with minerals. Ultimately, this wine is bright and full of energy; a beautiful pairing with Spanish chicken and rice. Really good now but I think the best is yet to come.

yes, this is a photo of a computer image. tasted as part of a Mourvèdre wine group tasting via zoom, wines portioned into woozies! wow. ripe forward purple fruit. after opening- savory notes.

Oh snap! My first time trying one of the 2017 Mataro’s from Sandlands and this San Benito County is fantastic! Beautiful, pure, fresh plums and other dark cherry with black pepper and other spices. It has an almost ferrous characteristic about it that I find quite charming. Lots of tannin and acid so let this be a note to those who are holding these in their cellar: just wait. This should be killer by 2022 but it’s already pretty exciting to drink.

Delicious!

Dark, silky and beyond good. Shows lots of beautiful mineral lift as if it was right bank bordeaux over limestone. Clean and utterly delicious

Day 2. This is a beauty. Really opens up showing lush red fruit yet still keeping it cool at 14%. Impressive now and will gain complexity with age.

Needs an hour to open but provides an explosion of dark fruit and spice with balance.

Really enjoy this. Definitely a fruit driven expression of Mataro (Mourvèdre). Tannins are present, but don't intrude here and characteristic cracked pepper emerges on the mid palate. The nose is where this one really shines. Fresh, fragrant blackberries which recall a farmer's market stall with the day's fresh picks. Great stuff.