Way back in 1975, the band Skyhooks released an album and a song called “Ego is not a dirty word”. Well I’d like to take out ‘ego’ from the title and replace it with ‘Merlot’. “Merlot is not a dirty word.” You see, back in 2004, the movie Sideways was released which somewhat damaged the reputation of Merlot (for a few years anyway) and the weird thing is, in the movie Paul Giamatti didn’t say a bad word about it. All he said was, “If anyone orders Merlot, I’m leaving. I am not drinking any Merlot.” Mind you, it still seems to not have such a good name in the world of wine mainly because of some of the ones you see floating around the bottleshops that are green, lean and lacking personality. Regardless, as far as I’m concerned, “Merlot is not a dirty word.” This one? Not by a long shot!
Goodness me. I’m happy to bet London to a brick there is no way by looking at the colour would anyone, not even the wine critics, think this is a nine year old Merlot. No way! Lush dark fruits to the fore when it comes to your nose doing its job.
Drinking it and knowing what it tastes like is what most people are interested in, am I right? So, let me tell you about the flavours. The dark fruits (think blackcurrants, blackberries and perfectly ripe plums) are ever so plump and juicy, smooth tannins sit delicately on the palate albeit a tad drying, the oak has integrated very nicely, plus it has pretty good length too. Actually, everything about this wine defies its age.
This should be the place to continue your Merlot appreciation journey.
Region: Glengarry, Tasmania Price: $55 Source: Sample thanks to Grey Sands
Words from a Wine Glass 