All this talk of dual citizenship! I want you to think about this for a minute. Imagine if a winemaker had to be ‘Australian’ to make wines in Australia?! The repercussions would be huge. Thankfully, it’s not the case and there’s nothing we need to worry about. Let’s not mention it shall we.
So, what on earth has this got to do with this Merlot I can hear you thinking. Bob & Rita Richter (has to be European but I stand to be corrected) are the proud owners of this little piece of Tassie heaven. Rita has links back to Italy. If the aforementioned rule was applied we, me and you, would not have the pleasure of tasting and drinking this wine.
This may be 8 years old but the colour will have the pupil, iris, lens and retina teaming up, sending messages to the optic nerve that will let the brain know. The brain will no doubt send a message back to the eyes to confirm the vintage. Yep, 2009.
Now, as expected everything about the nose and palate tells you this is merlot at this point in it’s life. It’s a young, no doubt about that. Plums, obvious, but some clean and fresh black fruits too. There is a nice little spicey touch on the palate that, I think, sits under the fruit where I also think the tannins sit at the moment because the fruit is so good. A bit convoluted sorry, so I hope you know what I mean. Add to this, good palate length and you have a nice package that is easy to drink now but will clearly enjoy lying in a cave for a few more years yet.
Region: Glengarry, Tasmania Price: $50 Source: Sample courtesy of Grey Sands
Words from a Wine Glass 