A hallmark of the Utopos Vineyard on Roennfeldt Road is the pitch perfect acid/ tannin balance we can achieve in fully ripened fruit. This provides for delicious, highly approachable wines in their youth, whilst enabling them to develop over a 10-15 year period, and maybe more. A hallmark of the Utopos Vineyard on Roennfeldt Road is the pitch perfect acid/ tannin balance we can achieve in fully ripened fruit. This provides for delicious, highly approachable wines in their youth, whilst enabling them to develop over a 10-15 year period, and maybe more. The 2023 growing season saw another winter and spring with great rainfalls, setting the vineyards up with high soil moisture to sustain them through the typically warm and dry summer. The ’23 summer was actually quite mild with very few days above 35 degrees celsius. This led to slow and even ripening with harvest occurring in early April. The typical low yields and sparse canopies saw Utopos sail through the late summer rains with no disease pressures to speak of.
Grenache and Mataro were harvested for the MSG on April 11 and cofermented with a 20% whole bunch inclusion with twice daily pumpovers. The fermentation was run warm with regular pump overs for 6 days before being pressed off to tank and barrel with a couple of baumé remaining. The wine was then matured in 20% new balance 3rd use tight grained med toast french hogsheads for almost 18 months. A blend of 56% Mataro, 24% Shiraz and 20% Grenache.
The Mataro grown at Utopos has quite a distinct expression. Being from a low yielding site, there is less dominant pretty lifted spice which has yielded to darker, more muscular characteristics on the nose and palate. The combination of the 3 varieties delivers an exceptionally true expression of the vineyard and the Utopos style. There are layers of black fruit and spice framed with graceful tannins without a hint of fruit sweetness. The Grenache aspects on the finish I’d best describe as wispy, rather than overtly juby or confectioned. This wine will age magnificently with the richer elements of Shiraz and Grenache receding after 10 years to reveal a truly intricate, complex wine. I love this stuff! Its easily my favourite wine to make.
