Deep garnet with a hint of purple in the color and scented of crushed red and black plums, wild blueberries and fertile earth accentuated by hints of underbrush and Szechuan pepper, the full-bodied 2011 Righteous Mataro unveils an excellent core of fruit complemented by earthy hints, a medium to firm level of chewy tannins and enlivening acid before it finishes long. Drink it now to 2022+.

Strong purple-crimson; achieved the near impossible for ’11, with no shortage of ripe fruit on the mid-palate, and no herbal/green/minty notes on the finish, the tannins ripe, the oak balanced and integrated.

Deep red/brick-red colour, with an acrid, developed, overripe and slightly ‘dead fruit’ aroma. The palate is dried-out and dead fruited, with savoury flavours, to the degree that it seems slightly oxidised. It lacks fruit and freshness. I would query random oxidation. Later: a peppery mataro aroma has emerged. But the wine is a bit stolid and stodgy and not very appealing. Intense, full-bodied, concentrated and tight as a drum. The longer it was open, the more this wine responded to breathing, and built appeal over several hours. It’s a baby, rather closed up, and needs to be cellared.