2022 Teusner Dog Strangler Mataro, Barossa Valley

From vineyards in Ebenezer, Moppa, Stonewell and Williamstown; aged for 12 months in seasoned French oak. The Teusner crew do mataro well. It's plummy and earthy with hints of blueberry pie, pastis, turned earth, spice, five-spice, black bean paste and pressed flowers. That mataro 'garrigue' comes in on the palate with spicy, meaty tones, fine tannins and some savoury swagger as it exits. Drink to 2034.

95 points Dave Brookes for Halliday Wine Companion, August 2024

A youthful, dark red in the glass. Lifted aromas of of blackberry, bramble, smoked meats, dark cherry and licorice. Dense, dark, chewy and mouth-filling. There's lashings of dark fruited goodness, along with sweet spice, a brambly earthiness and nutty oak. The tannins are shapely and serious and the acidity brings plenty of ping and snap. A delicious wine. Drink to 2039.

93 points Aaron Brasher for The Real Review, August 2024

The 2022 The Dog Strangler is aromatically jubey and energetic, and yet the palate is lean and tightly wound, with vibrant red fruits and stalky tannins. Spicy and bright, this drinks like a Grenache in its sweet fruit and buoyant nature. Drink to 2032.

90 points Erin Larkin for The Wine Advocate, April 2025

Kym Teusner was raised on a sheep and cereal farm on the banks of the Murray River. While studying business in Adelaide, he was fascinated by a Barossa Valley Cabernet that led to all-consuming obsession with wine and travels to wine regions around the globe. Coming home, his studies shifted formally to oenology and landed him roles at Torbreck and Rolf Binder, with a dedicated small cellar at the latter becoming the home for his first wines. 2008 saw the first full-time vintage for his label, culminating in the construction of a bespoke winery in Nuriootpa.

Teusner Wines is a negociant producer working with grape growing families across the Barossa. Many of these families have lived in the Barossa since the early days of settlement and possess in-depth, multi-generational knowledge about growing conditions, unique terroir variations and the distinct intricacies of local sites. Kym’s mutually respectful relationship with growers and his gentle winemaking approach are at the core of all Teusner wines.

The Dog Strangler is a 100% Mataro (a.k.a. Mourvèdre, Monastrell). A late ripening variety that shows its best in long seasons of moderate temperatures such as the 2022 in the Barossa. Four old vine parcels contributed to this blend that spent 12 months in seasoned French oak barrels.

Blue and purple fruits open the lifted nose that expands with notes of aniseed, biltong and fermented black beans. The flavoursome palate feels darker, the meaty tones now on full display. It has a fair bit of weight to swing around, with a solid structure of tannins keeping the fruit in place.

You might fall head over heels with the lively, untamed character of Mataro by pairing it with deep and savoury food that plays to its natural strengths. Try with whole-roasted celeriac coated in a reduction of stock, mushrooms and black peppercorns or a Catalan beef and mushroom stew with chocolate picata (Estofat de Bou amb Xocolata).