Massena Moonlight Run Grenache Mataro Shiraz 2021. Established in 2000, Massena was founded by Dan Standish and Jaysen Collins who until 2006 were employed full time at other Barossa wineries (Dan as winemaker at Torbreck and Jaysen as general manager at Turkey Flat). All Massena wines are 100% Eden Valley and Barossa valley fruit from dry-farmed, low yielding vines up to 155 years age. The Massena Moonlight Run Grenache Mataro Shiraz 2021 is their homage to the great red wines of the Rhone valley in France. The Moonlight Run was their combined midnight drive back to the Barossa after working vintage in the Clare Valley in 1999. They would crave a soft slurpy wine to wash down a hard night’s work, so a Barossa Grenache based wine was their logical next step.

To be honest this wine is really nothing like the Cote Du Rhone and is distinctly Barossa. It is full bodied, rich, with spicy fruit cake aromas layered with chocolate and the most complex and subtle of oak characters.