Atlas The Spaniard 2021

Description

Winemaker Adam Barton after working for Scarpantoni (McLaren Vale), Rolf Binder (Barossa), Wynns Coonawarra Estate and iconic Bonny Doon (California) wasted no time to complete a winemaking degree at Adelaide University.  Atlas Wines began on a 26-acre block of land, a vineyard planted with Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon, on the eastern slopes of the Clare Valley. The year was 2007. Adam Barton and Amy Lane made an investment in Clare and an investment in their future. Their vision for Atlas was pretty simple: to produce great wine from the highest-quality fruit from vineyards with exceptional provenance. Adam has come to understand the complexity and diversity of the Clare Valley, and how the unique characteristics of different sites produce fruit with distinctive qualities. It’s these qualities that they have sought to express through the wines they have made. As such, the Atlas house style is a carefully composed mosaic of the region. It is a true boutique producer. The red wines, sourced primarily from White Hut in the north and Leasingham in the south, are elegant yet powerful, and well structured; the whites, sourced from several sites at Watervale are finely structured, aromatic and pure.

Not suprising James Halliday rated them a 5 Red Star Winery saying “...The quality of the wines is extraordinarily good and extraordinarily consistent.”

This blend of 77% Tempranillo and 23% Grenache is from two sites in the Clare Valley: the Tempranillo from the south of the valley at Auburn, and the Grenache from Gullyview Vineyard at Leasingham.

Notes from the winery: The focus for this wine was on blending the two varieties to ensure adequate fruit expression, while allowing some of the more textural and savoury qualities of these varieties to sing, and ultimately creating something balanced, interesting and harmonious. We were blessed with two parcels of exceptional Clare Valley fruit, which we worked with individually to create wines that would play specific roles in the final blend: the Tempranillo with its ripe strawberry fruit flavours, and the Grenache with ripe, sweet red fruits, raspberries and a degree of subtle astringency enhanced by the use of 25% whole bunches in the fermentation.

This red blend is dense garnet with purple hues. It exhibits bright aromas of mulberries, red currants and ripe plums, with subtle complexing characters of aniseed and and earthy spices. The palate is medium bodied with generous fruit flavours of black cherry and satsuma plum, supported by hints of tobacco and cedar. Fine structural tannin adds power without being overbearing, while the soft acid ensures a complex and satisfying drinking experience. 14.5% alc.

90 points, Gary Walsh, The Wine Front “Plum, cherry, mint and cola, with a slightly meaty and earthy edge. It’s medium-bodied, a little orange zest tang, a little sappy and grainy, but has character, and a little chew of tannin to close. Mataro seems to be in the driving seat, in terms of flavour profile, and it’s a nice wine all up.”

RRP $28   SPECIAL PRICE $22.50 when you buy 6 or more of this wine.