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.”
About this wine from the winemaker: “Fruit for this blend came from three select sites: the Tempranillo (34%) and Grenache (26%) from dry-grown, low-yielding vines grown in terra rossa soil in the Clare Valley; and the Mataro (30%) from old vines grown in sandy loams further north, a warmer site, well suited to this late ripening variety. These vineyards produced concentrated, bright fruited expressions of each variety, reflective of their Spanish origins.
“The focus for this wine was on blending the three 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. Each variety was fermented in small open fermenters with twice daily gentle pigeage. The Mataro was given a brief cold soak before pre-ferment to encourage the extraction of fruit character over tannin. 10% of whole bunches were included with the Grenache. Wines were basket-pressed and matured for 9 months in a combination of neutral French oak puncheons and stainless steel prior to filtration and bottling in January 2023. 14.5% alc.
“This red blend is a youthful ruby red with purple hues. The nose is bright and lifted with aromas of ripe satsuma plum, cherry and sweet spice, and hints of nutmeg, cardamom and earthiness. The palate is fleshy and ripe with a core of red fruits and spice supported soft structural tannin and well rounded acidity. The oak influence is minimal, creating a fresh and satisfying drink.”
91 points, Mike Bennie for Halliday Wine Companion “A blend of tempranillo, mataro and grenache. Is TMG the new GSM? Maybe not, but lean into this one. A fleshy textured, fuller flavoured red wine with freshness on its side. The perfume shows off cola, rosewater, ripe cherry and woody spices. The palate a cavalcade of cherry cola, more woody spice, cinnamon and clove, let’s say, with choc-mint elements and some black tea tannin dragged through it all. Pleasurable and very gluggable indeed.”
RRP $32 Our Price $25.99
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