Fraser Gallop Cabernet Merlot
Since the first release in 2002, Fraser Gallop Estate have gone from strength to strength, picking up a Jimmy Watson Medal along the way. The Cabernet Merlot is a lovely example of the blend which is so at home in Margaret River. Leafy mulberry on the nose with cassis in the background, and a soft , flavoursome palate. Delicious!
Rosabrook Cabernet Merlot
This 2014 Rosabrook Cabernet Merlot is one of the Margaret River's signature wine styles. Great licks of black fruit from the Cabernet Sauvignon interlaced with the smooth plum characters on Merlot. It is a beautifully made wine with great balance and a lengthy finish. It will be great with meat dishes or even a cheese platter. Owned by Calneggia Family Vineyards, one of Margaret River's pioneering grape growers with winemaker legend Brian Fletcher pulling the winemaking levers.
Printhie Mountain Range Merlot
Printhie is a stand-out producer from the emerging region of Orange and this Merlot has a complex bouquet of red fruits, violets and spice. The palate has fine acidity and gentle tannin providing attractive structure and length.
Château Tanunda Dahlitz Merlot
Château Tanunda Dahlitz Merlot displays lifted aromas of blueberry and plum supported by juicy dark berry fruits and chocolate and a hint of vanilla on the palate. The extensive finish is framed by elegant, fine-grained tannins from fifteen months' maturation in a combination of new and seasoned French oak barrels.
Tenuta san Guido Guidalberto IGT
This Cabernet Merlot by Tenuta san Guido was created for two reasons: first of all, the desire to see what they could accomplish with Merlot, a grape that they had never used before; second, the desire to offer the consumer a wine which could be appreciated at a younger age compared to their veteran Sassicaia.
Château Montrose St-Estèphe
The balancing act of Chateau Montrose sees 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot and for the first time an inclusion from the recently purchased vineyard parcel of Phelan Segur. Chateau Montrose is considered a top producer from St-Estephe, known for potential in cellaring and considered unique for its style, which is set to 'vin de garde' wines. The estate property is set on gravel-based soils and sits in what is conisdered a microclimate, also conspiring in the unique perfumes, composition and forimdable structure of these wines. 2010 has been spectacular for Montrose power and presence, and will be a worthy wine to drink in a decade to 75 years.
Château Haut-Brion Pessac-Léognan
Simply a wine of true perfection. 2009 in Bordeaux has bestowed many a Châteaux with a wine for the ages and in iconic estates like Château Haut-Brion, the wines have been lifted to 'nirvana-ish' levels. One wouldn't be adverse to simply sitting on the nose of this wine for hours without having a want to taste it such is the complexity and aromatic waves that are present. In the mouth though, this Pessac-Léognan boasts flavours of cigar, raspberries, plums, figs and blueberries with a finish that seems to go on for decades. Breathtakingly stunning.