“Here is Merrill at his best. This was a small vintage after a dry winter, but the resulting fruit concentration has contributed to wines of deep intensity. Love this wine with its bag of riches on display first on the bright plummy mulberry fruits on the nose and then on the rich and textured palate with its dark chocolate, toasted coffee and savoury meatiness. It’s had some oak. Plenty. In fact, 29 months in new and seasoned French and American hogsheads and puncheons. But over-oaked – no way. Merrill is a master of using oak over long periods and this is a masterful wine.”
96 points, Ray Jordan, Winepilot
Matured for 29 months in American and French barrels (80% new). This is a complex wine; the impact of the oak is substantial to say the least, but time has smoothed the fruit and oak into a coherent whole. Will outlive many consumers – myself included.
92 points James Halliday winecompanion.com.au
The Geoff Merrill wine making philosophy has been and always will be, to make wine that allows regional, varietal and vintage expression, without excessive winemaker intervention. Great wine is a matter of balance and our passion for subtle, elegant and harmonious flavours in wine is well documented.
“I have been making wines under the Geoff Merrill label since the 1980 vintage and in that time my commitment to releasing wines to be enjoyed at the table has never changed”. Geoff believes in holding his vintage for maturation before release hence this vintage is still available for sale.
The colour is a dark red with great depth. The aroma really displays the best characteristics of this ripe vintage. It's full of intense red berry fruit, chocolate, earth and leather. The palate is voluptuous and seductive, initially appearing generous and inviting before revealing the serious structure beneath. Extended maturation both in barrel and bottle before release has allowed the wine to gain some sophistication and grace from what was a very rich and robust vintage.