Andrew Caillard - MW
"Fragrant and lithe in structure with attractive bright crimson colours, cranberry, redcurrant herb garden, star anise aromas, supple textures, underlying roasted nut complexity, mid-palate inkiness and persistent mineral freshness."

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Our very limited release of 2015 Caillard Pinxit Mataro Cabernet Sauvignon is the result of an unexpected accident in the cellar, where five barrels of Mataro were topped up with a barrel of Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon. This unlikely blend was set aside until we could work out what to do with it. Coincidentally, I was writing a book about Marqués de Riscal and its 19th Century history; “A Journey through Time” which gave us the inspiration to keep the wine in barrel for over two years in the tradition of a “Reserva” style. The result is surprisingly very different, but quite exciting. The extra year of aging has allowed the wine to build a silky complexity and sinuous mineral line. The colour has lightened off, but like many fine quality wines made from pinot noir or nebbiolo it has an understated power and viscosity that is immediately intriguing and different. This is not a dog strangler but a very fine peacock’s tail.

The Mataro was entirely sourced from Georgiadis Estate at Dorrien in the central Barossa Valley. The Reynell Selection Cabernet Sauvignon – named after my Great Grandfather Carew Reynell – was inadvertently sourced from Parker Coonawarra Estate. Whoever would have thought that such a wine would work?
After traditional vinification, the wine was matured for over two years in seasoned French oak Barriques, to achieve something new and different. Of course we had our doubts, but as it turns out “fortune has rewarded the brave”, so to speak.

We are well aware this is an idiosyncratic wine, but it is worth mentioning that it is probably the first of its type since the 19th Century. We know the original St Henri Clarets of the 1890s were Cabernet Mataro blends.