$33.90
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Region: Barossa Valley
Grapes: Grenache, Mataro, Shiraz
First Glance: Spicy, Juicy, Structured, Red Fruits
Acclaim: 97pts
The Wine:
Whilst Shiraz might be the poster boy for the Barossa, we believe blending it with Grenache and Mataro produces the best drinking wines from this region. Thanks to our good mates the Riebke brothers and other Barossa growers whose families have stuck by these varieties for the past 100 years or more, we’re privileged to have fruit from very old vines to make our GMS blends. In 2002, our first vintage, we made one wine… an unoaked GMS blend we called Joshua. With that wine selling out quickly, we decided to have a crack at releasing a second wine from the vintage, a different take on the original blend and aged in seasoned oak for 12 months. Loosely interpreted, Avatar can mean ‘transformation’…so a pretty good moniker for a wine we fondly refer to as the older brother for our Josh’.
The blend percentages for Avatar might change each vintage, but the recipe doesn’t vary much… the 2022 vintage blends 50% Grenache for spice and bright red fruits, 30% Mataro for some savoury earthiness and depth and 20% Shiraz for plump plum and rich black fruit. The time in oak… and the choice of old seasoned oak…ensures it serves only as a seasoning to add complexity and savoury nuance. With vines this old, we want the fruit and earth to speak with the clearest voice.
The Review:
James Halliday, Wine Companion - 97pts
"A blend of old-vine grenache, mataro and shiraz; matured in used oak to throw all the focus on the fruits and their freshness, coupled with the second great vintage conditions in a row after ’21. Irresistible. Drink by 2032."
