The Merlot grapes were sourced predominantly from the Lodden and A50 blocks on the Taylor family estate and a small parcel came from selected growers in the Clare Valley. The winemakers are seeking to produce a wine that displays a rich mid palate driven structure with good fleshy fruit and a soft, velvety mouth feel. To achieve this the fruit, once harvested, was de-stemmed only, not crushed, then transferred to stainless steel fermentation vessels where a quick yet gentle, warm fermentation using a yeast to enhance fruit expression was carried out. After primary fermentation, the wine was pressed and transferred back to stainless steel where secondary, malo lactic fermentation was carried out. The wine was then racked off to a mixture of American and French oak barrels (10% new, 30% 1 year old, and 60% 2 years and older) and was left to mature for approximately 12 months before being finally blended and after minimal filtration, bottled in December 2010.
Region: Clare Valley (100%)
Appearance: At release, the wine is a deep red with an intense purple hue
Bouquet: At release, distinct aromas of Japanese Satsuma plum and ripe cherries abound with secondary spice, cigar box characters evident along with subtle creamy chocolate.
Palate: At release, this wine is medium to full-bodied with rich plum and cherry fruit characters. The fruit flavours are balanced by undertones of creamy chocolate, spice and subtle savoury characters. The palate has a desirable, almost brioche texture with grainy tannins through the mid-palate and a long, persistence to the finish.
Silver - Decanter World Wine Awards 2011
Silver - International Wine Challenge 2011