Watervale, Clare Valley
100% Primitivo
13.0% Alc
15 Years Old Vine
2023 was an unusually cool vintage with late rains that delayed the reds for a further month. Fruit that was harvested had a lovely, bright concentration and the natural acid retention was exceptional.
Primitivo is hand picked so we are able to do 50% whole bunch in ferment. Starts with native yeast and then inoculated with neutral yeast to complete to dry. Wine is on skins for 21 days, then pressed off and put to older French barrels. Wine is then racked and left to naturally settle before bottling. No fining and no filtration.
Silky, earthy tannins with the crunchy brightness from 50% whole bunch fermentation. Bright strawberry notes with clove with those terracotta tones.
JH 93, JS 90, Campbell Mattinson 91
Matriarch and Rogue Ken Primitivo 2023
2022/23/24 Clare Valley Sangiovese winery of the year in the Melbourne International Wine awards.
Nominated for Clare Valley Winemaker of the year 2024
#4 Young Gun of Wines best Fiano in Australia 2024
2024 Australian Small Winemakers wine show - Gold 2024 Albarino 2024
Melbourne International Wine Show - Gold 2022 Sangiovese
Family owned, award winning, boutique winery located in Clare Valley. Our cellardoor and production facility are located in the heart of the historic town of Mintaro.
Started in 2014 with the intent to showcase alternative varieties that highlight the sub-regions of Clare Valley. In 2018, we built our own processing facility to accommodate the growing demand for our unique wines and to ensure quality to each batch. In 2023 we purchased a property to move our winery and open our cellardoor. We are now working on creating a space where you can come to the winery, see the process, taste the wines and meet the maker.
Our focus is to ensure that what is in your glass, is an exact representation of the premium fruit it is sourced from. Single vineyards are selected, and fruit is harvested based purely on flavour, balance and quality. Winemaking is minimal to ensure the structure and style of the fruit is carefully created to give the drinker the ultimate wine we can produce.
Marnie has been in the Australian Wine industry since 1996. Her first vintage was at a large, commercial winery that had a crush of 75,000 tonnes. Since then, she has worked in various wineries across the world with a focus on creating wines that are authentic to site in which they are grown. After 30 years in the industry, she is a highly regarded winemaker that has now settled in the Clare valley where she can produce wines of premium quality and care.