We have to talk about the Elephant in the Room Merlot. An aromatic scent of ripe, red berries balanced by spice and earthiness is continued into the palate with a well-contained flavour explosion. The delightful finish makes this the perfect wine to enjoy with friends.

In the glass: Medium to deep red black. On the nose: Full of bright red cherry with hints of red olive and fine oak spice. On the palate: Quite a jubey and appealing red fruit core giving long and silken flavours that are generous and classy. Fine oak gives subtle support throughout. Lovely now yet with good mid-term potential.

This vibrant and lifted Merlot exudes rich plum flavours with undertones of both red and dark fruits with a soft touch of oak. As the wine develops in the glass, layers of chocolate, nutmeg, cinnamon and cardamom spices come to the fore. The soft mouthfeel and tannin integration allow for all the beautiful flavours of this wine to shine through.

Climbing Merlot is a rich red coloured wine with purple hues. Fruit for this wine came from 600 metres above the sea level giving it intense flavours and great elegance. It has delectable aromas of rich red berries, plums and bell pepper along with some oak. The palate is medium bodied with soft tannins and light oak. The wine is ready to be consumed now and can also be cellared for up to 5 years. Drink it with rich meaty dishes!

While almost all Australian Merlot in the bottle is made from one clone, now Australia has better French clones of Merlot. This wine is made from one of them (Q45) by Australias new clone Merlot pioneers. MÉRITEs 2016 Q Merlot is made to showcase the attributes of this new clone: its a bold wine with intense fruit flavours, bright natural acidity and fine tannins

“Maturation in French and American oak... an opaque wine, powerful and loaded with as much saturated dark fruit and coffee fl avours as it is brooding, finishing with dried tobacco and forceful, ferruginous tannins. There is nothing jammy about this. Palate-staining and brimming with personality. 95 points” (James Halliday).

Since the 2007 vintage this has been the second wine of Chateau Haut-Brion. Its name (until the 2006 vintage) was Château Bahans Haut-Brion.