Established: 2000

Appellations: GI Barossa valley, SA

Winemaker: Jaysen Collins

Wine Making Overview: hand harvest, minimal intervention

Vegan Friendly: yes

Vineyard Area: 4 ha

Viticulture: Sustainable

Vineyards: purchased fruit and estate vineyards

Vine Density: 3000 / ha

Average Production: 4000 Dozens

 
Massena is one of my favourite Barossa producers, hands down.
— Mike Bennie, winefront.com.au, August 2019
Very pure. The Australian Chave?
— James Suckling, on The Eleventh Hour.

Established in 2000 Massena was begun 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 Turket Flat). All Massena wines are from 100% Eden Valley and Barossa valley fruit from dry-farmed, low yielding vines up to 155 years age located in the north-western Barossa. Working mostly with traditional Barossa varieties, they have also established experimental vineyards of other varieties like Roussanne, Viognier, Barbera, Primitivo, Dolcetto, Tinta Amarela, Graciano, Saperavi and Tannat.

Wines are made using traditional techniques such as open fermentation and basket pressing and are aged in tank or seasoned French oak; no American oak is used here for maturation. All varieties are hand harvested and fermented using indigenous yeasts and wines from each vineyard are raised and kept separate until final blending. These are wines of striking purity and natural intensity that reflect their origins and which offer outstanding value.

WINE NOTES AND REVIEWS

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MASSENA CLASSIC

2022 The Surly Muse 
Made from 100% Viognier in 2022. Each year we take a parcel of Viognier from a South facing vineyard in the Gomersal sub-region. The red iron ridge soils are harsh and the area is dry so we pick it early to preserve the natural acidity. Cold fermentation in stainless steel tanks and ageing ‘surlie’ (on lees) in French oak barriques, we then bottle the wine unfiltered and release almost immediately. Whole bunch pressed, no cultured yeast added, aged in a mix of stainless steel and seasoned French Oak hogsheads for 7 months before bottling in October 2022.
Light and cloudy in colour with enticing aromas of tropical and stone fruit. Flavours of nectarine, passionfruit and lychee dominate with subtle hints of spice from partial oak maturation.
Jaysen Collins, Winemaker.

2021 The Surly Muse 
(60% Viognier, 40% Marsanne) 'The grapes for ‘the surly muse’ are sourced from a single site in the Gomersal sub-region. We harvest the Viognier and Marsanne at two different ripeness stages (up to four weeks apart). The early picking of Viognier gives the wine great natural acidity and green tinges, whilst the riper Marsanne adds rich and full fruit flavours. Fermentation and ageing of the surly muse was completed ‘surlie’ (on lees) in stainless steel tanks before bottling unfiltered. The wine is pale gold in colour with bright green highlights. The nose displays aromas of apricots, honeysuckle, wild fennel and grapefruit. The palate is firm and restrained, with succulent tropical flavours that are matched with fresh acidity, a taught band of minerality and a creamy texture.' Jaysen Collins, Winemaker.

2021 The Moonlight Run
Mataro 33%, Grenache 34%, Shiraz 33% from Seppeltsffield, Southern Moppa, Greenock and Tanunda. Old bush vine Grenache from the Western ridge, where the clay soils are dense and iron rich is fermented with 50% whole bunches include. This complex Grenache fruit adds dark cherry fruit, spiciness and intensity as the building block of this blend. Mataro from dry grown vines on the rose quartz soils of Moppa is fermented with 30% whole cluster inclusion as the tannin backbone of this wine. Natural yeast fermented in open top stainless steel fermenters. Add to that some Greenock and Tanunda Shiraz and we have a wine that has a mouthful of everything superb about a Southern Rhone styled blend. Daily pump overs early in ferment, followed by punching down as the ferment finished, ensure gentle and controlled extraction. Aged in seasoned French Oak Puncheons for 15 months, each parcel is selected to add as much interest as possible.
Deep red and purple in colour with raspberry and dark cherry on the palate supported by firm tannins from whole bunch inclusion. Aromatics of dark red fruits with green peppercorn and Chinese five spice ensure a complex blend that is best with rich, slow cooked braises.

2021 The Eleventh Hour
(100% Shiraz) Shiraz for The Eleventh Hour is sourced from vineyards located on the Barossa’s Western Ridge, including the Greenock, Stonewell and Marananga sub regions of the Barossa. The red clay belt running North to Greenock creates an ideal environment to grow shiraz, the compact soils provide fruit that is juicy, spicy and concentrated. Stonewell’s hard redbrown soils add another layer of complexity to the wine, with a darker fruit profile and Marananga’s more loam soil base adds a dense, traditional Barossa fruitcake profile. Destemming without crushing, we ferment each parcel with NO cultured yeast in separate batches for 10-14 days in open fermenters before basket pressing. Aged in seasoned oak hogsheads and barriques for 20 months, the wine was moved to tank in individual components for several months before blending and bottling without fining or filtration. Jaysen Collins, Winemaker.

2020 Verto Shiraz RRP $100
(100% Shiraz) A selection of Old Vine Shiraz vineyards across the Eden and Barossa Valleys, blended together to create a wine of density and intensity. Open fermented and matured in a combination of ceramic egg and new and seasoned French Oak casks, this is a combination of exceptional vineyards and minimal intervention in the winery.
The Eden Valley was once a part of an ancient sea bed, the thin loam soils sit above a substrate of red clay containing rose quartz and black mica schist fragments. In the heat of summer, cool breezes and low night temperatures promote long, slow ripening of fruit resulting in complex flavours with balanced acidity and fine, silky tannin. The dense red clays of the North West of the Barossa give tiny berries, thick skins and natural tannins, making a combination of these regions a perfect balancing act.
The vineyards are hand harvested in the cool of the morning and left to slowly commence fermentation under a layer of inert gas. Some stalks and whole berries are combined in the ferment, with daily plunging by hand over the course of several weeks. After draining the free run, the skins are gently transferred to a basket press and pressed slowly overnight. Select parcels are transferred to ceramic eggs to give the natural lees stirring to develop palate structure and breath. Other parcels are aged in a mix of 225L and 500L new and seasoned French Oak barrels for 20 months. The wine is then racked to tank and bottled without fining or filtration.'

Review for 2019The 2019 Verto Shiraz is a super impressive wine. With density, blood and root vegetables (roast beetroot and the like), this has lashings of licorice strap, fresh leather, aniseed, cocoa powder and Christmas cake spice. The intensity of the 2019 season is on show, and its important to really lean into this wine, let it absorb you, because there is an infiniate amount of folds and layers here to experience. The tannins are velvety and plush but not overblown. Its even a little savoury. Fermented and matured in a combination of ceramic egg and French oak of varying sizes. Balance 101.' 97 points, Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate, September 2022.

MASSENA SINGLE VINEYARD WINES

2019 Stonegarden Grenache - last cases
The Grenache fruit from vines mostly planted in the 1850’s and 1860’s. Single vineyard wine from the distinguished Stonegarden vineyard in the Eden Valley, with old vine heritage and limited production. The wines produced from this special piece of history are something to behold, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache and Riesling while singing their respective varietal character, have a common vineyard thread of beautiful aromatics and subtle minerality.
Harvested in two parcels from the purest planting of Grenache on the historic vineyard. The first parcel is destemmed into a ceramic egg and aged on skins for several months to extract a fine grain tannin structure. The second parcel is fermented as whole bunches and foot stomped over a period of two weeks giving a broader more grainy tannin profile. A fine acid balance is the hallmark of this vineyard and combined with a fine boned structure will ensure this Grenache is constantly evolving as it ages. 2580 bottles produced.

’The 2019 Stonegarden Grenache is made with fruit from the Stonegarden Vineyard (bush vines planted circa 1858) in the Eden Valley. This is so good. It shows all of the mineralogy and graphite tannins that are so commonly found in the Eden Valley—part of what makes it such a special place. I was there recently, and driving up Mengler's Hill not only affords you a most epic view back over the Barossa Valley floor, but I find it the best place to understand the rocks in the earth that rise up out of the ground there. This wine has such endurance of flavor in the mouth that I can still taste it after having written the note. Hungarian salami, pink peppercorns, pencil shavings, raspberry pip, salted licorice, black cherries, cocoa powder... you want more? Also fennel seeds, pepper and blackberries. The tannins shape all aspects of this wine and carry it over the long (and fresh) finish.’
97 points, Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate, July 2022.

2020 Seppeltsfield Grenache
Barossa sub-region Seppeltsfield sits on the Western ridge of the Barossa, with a mix of red clays and shattered limestone. Old vine Grenache has thrived here for centuries, with the perfect balance of fruit density and structure being the hallmark. The wine is unrefined and unfiltered.
Destemmed into stainless open fermenters and pumped over twice daily for 10 days. Aged in seasoned 600L thick stave French Oak casks for 20 months, such that ageing is slower and less oxidative.
Notes of raspberry and cranberry immediately on the nose with hints of violet. Sweet fruit on the palate with grippy tannins and smooth texture. Taste plums, wild berries and cherry.

2020 Greenock Shiraz
Barossa sub-region Greenock has rich red clays over limestone, which restricts vigour and gives a smaller berry size. This results in wines with power and structure with a balancing energy from the limestone substrate. The wine is unrefined and unfiltered.
Destemmed and fermented in wooden fermenters with plunging twice daily, then lids are put on the ferments and held on skins for a further 4 weeks to build tannin structure. Basket pressed direct to barrel and aged on lees in a mix of a new french oak puncheon as well as seasoned barriques for 20 months, the final blend being 25% new oak.
Strong aroma right off the bat with notes of dark plum and perfumed violets. Palate delivers notes of liquorice, clove and toasty oak. Long finish with a lasting taste.