Blend of Merlot (60%), Malbec (30%) and Cabernet Franc (10%).
Deep red with purple hue. The nose has rich plummy aromas, cassis and fine oak.
The palate has a classic ‘claret’ structure with plum & black olive fruit, firm grape and oak tannins and a long aromatic finish.
A wine to enjoy with hearty food and the potential to age & develop for some years.
Tony Peters –
2015 Grey Sands The Mattock
Posted on October 18, 2019
by Tony Peters
I decided to research the actual garden tool, the Mattock (thanks again to Google) and I was a bit surprised, and a little confused, as to its history. I won’t bore you with it all but part of the (Wikipedia) blurb that stuck out to me was, “Mattocks are the most commonly depicted tool in Byzantine manuscripts of Greek poet Hesiod’s Works and Days”. If you didn’t already know, Bob and Rita Richter also have a white wine named Byzantine. Now I don’t know if this is pure coincidence or not but I reckon it’s a great connection into their world of wine.
Merlot makes up the majority of this wine coming in at 60%, with Malbec making up 40% and Cabernet Franc providing very good support, even if it is only 10% of the makeup.
It exudes very nice and attractive, fresh dark fruit aromas that gave me a pretty good insight into what I thought I was about to taste. Black fruits are the mainstays with blackberries and blackcurrants shining through, then ‘hello’ to supportive plum characters on the abundant palate (but not rich if you know what I mean). Definitely not shy on flavour that’s for sure. It has a fairly long finish where some earthiness and tannin poke through but did not take anything away from the excellent fruit.
It is a very well made, flavoursome and balanced wine with the structure to age very well. I’m going to go out on a limb and say, if my memory serves me correctly, this is probably the best Mattock out of the 4 vintages released and I’ve been lucky enough to try them all.
Grey Sands Website
Region: Glengarry, Tasmania Price: $45 Source: Sample thanks to Grey Sands
Patrick Eckel –
2015 Grey Sands The Mattock
July 15, 2019 (Updated: July 15, 2019)
Wine Rating 93
A blend Merlot (60%), Malbec (30%) and Cabernet Franc (10%) with the constituent varieties all leaving their mark in terms of both flavour and texture. The wine is a youthful but dark red in the glass with a nose that opens up with olive laden blackberry fruit and background notes of graphite and subtle milk chocolate tones.
Tannins and acid give impressive structure with briny black fruits and secondary notes of leather and earth. There is a drying moreishness to finish with oak providing both tannin and some enjoyable spice. A lovely blend that will live a long time.
When to Drink
Optimal Drinking
2019 – 2035
Date Reviewed
07 14, 2019
wine_searcher on Instagram –
Grey Sands ‘The Mattock’15, a blend of Merlot, Malbec & Cabernet Franc, right up my street. Deep red with a trickle of dark purple in the glass, showing aromas of cassis, blackcurrants and plum, so fresh and vibrant still with a backing of spice and fine oak. The palate is all about concentrated dark fruit flavours and a raft of drying chewy tannins, fine spice also, that’re all beginning to meld beautifully. Give it a few more years and it’ll be a treat. 17.3.21