Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard Merlor Cabernet Franc 2015

Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard Merlor Cabernet Franc 2015

  17:02    Stu.

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It's a heady mix of Merlot and Cabernet Franc (69/31%) from the cool 2015 vintage. Remnants of oak, cedar, redcurrant - all the more impressive for a wine at ten years to maintain a level of primary expression.

It was with deliberate intent to show both the cool expression of 2015, alongside the longevity of the wine, with the current release 2021 (not to follow). 

There's a Christmas Cake and blueberry compote aspect to the wine, look further beneath the layers to see expressions of the freshness against fine tannins. Fennel, blackcurrant and earthen remnants round out the lengthy finish - and even at ten I'd certainly suggest it's time is not done yet. 96

Tasted on: Sunday 22nd June
Source: Sample
Price: $115
Alcohol: 14.8%
Closure: Cork
Website: https://tapanappa.com.au/

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Jules Taylor The Jules Rosé 2021

Jules Taylor The Jules Rosé 2021

  20:39    Stu.

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Berry driven nose: strawberries, cream - soft, sensuous.

Palate is somewhat rounded and textural. I recommended serving pretty cool - this came wine fridge cold - to flatten the palate and accentuate the back palate.

There's enough interest to make this one with broad appeal. Could easily smash a bottle - or two - of this over lunch. 90

Tasted on: Thursday 24th March
Source: Sample
Price: $20
Alcohol: 13%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://www.julestaylor.com/

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Domaines Paul Mas Vignes de Nicole Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2019

Domaines Paul Mas Vignes de Nicole Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2019

  08:30    Stu.

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Fine and powdery - cocoa like - tannins here; savoury with a smattering of fruit. 

There’s faint touches of old and drying tobacco, olive skins, and it veers toward to something cocoa like. Seeming somewhat devoid of personality and interest, yet without fault. 

The finish is dry, firm, with a residual and persistent length. 87

Tasted on: Tuesday 22nd September
Source: Sample
Price: $16.99
Alcohol: 14%
Closure: Cork
Sample Courtesy of: https://www.palatepr.com/

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Huntington Estate Merlot 2019

Huntington Estate Merlot 2019

  08:30    Stu.

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Image to follow

"2019 has been characterised by intensely dry heat spells followed by short, heavy rainfall. We picked our
fruit very early to beat the heat and secured stunning, evenly ripened fruit with clean, restrained acids." 

This 2019 has been released before the 2017 and 2018. Sitting in the spot within the portfolio where the Grenache normally would (2019 Grenache sold out, none made in 2020).

Initially bright perfume of cherry on initial pour, settles nicely into more familiar plum and typical black fruit profile. 

The palate shows every inch of its early picking, light and bright with a tangy acid profile across the palate and through the finish. 

A delicious lick of spice curls across the back palate, delivering length to boot. Do not underestimate its lower alcohol profile, the freshness makes this a marvellous supping wine for consumption in youth. 91

Tasted on: Saturday 9th January 

Source: Sample
Price: $32
Alcohol: 12.7%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://huntingtonestate.com.au/

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Angullong Merlot 2018

Angullong Merlot 2018

  08:30    Stu.

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Earth, gamey vibes, latterly the suggestion of tobacco emerges - lending a smokey air. 

Feeling fresh across the palate, youthful and with something like an olive skin vibe. The structure bolsters the youth and vitality of the wine. 

Well made, another claim for the re-emergence of Merlot, in cooler climes and in the right hands. 91 

Tasted on: Wednesday 5th August 
Source: Sample
Price: $22
Alcohol: 14.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://www.angullong.com.au/

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Blue Pyrenees Estate Merlot 2017

Blue Pyrenees Estate Merlot 2017

  20:56    Stu.

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A blue and black fruit mix, a kiss of vanilla accented oak. Hints of minty

eucalypt. Seemingly quite subtle on the aromatics initially, cool and calm. 

Good structure, fine and chalky tannins provide carry and substance. Fruit presence is there, again that blue and black fruit mix, subtle depth and sustain of finish. Good wine and a good intro to the reds of the house. 88 

Tasted on: Saturday 13th June
Source: Sample
Price: $28 
Alcohol: 13%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://www.bluepyrenees.com.au/

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Blue Pyrenees Bone Dry Rosé 2019

Blue Pyrenees Bone Dry Rosé 2019

  16:30    Stu.

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Predominantly a blend of Pinot Noir (74%), Merlot (19%), Chardonnay and a splash of Pinot Meunier for good measure.

Toffee apple, Turkish Delight, gentle hints of strawberry wafting from glass. For that flavour and fruit on aroma, the palate does exactly what it asserts itself to be, that being bone dry, albeit with a slightly fuller textural profile from 6m on lees. 

White pepper hints, a gentle phenolic rub across the palate, dry and long on a generous finish. Very good rosé. 92 

Tasted on: Wednesday 10th June
Source: Sample
Price: $24
Alcohol: 13%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://www.bluepyrenees.com.au/

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Gartelmann Phillip Alexander Cabernet Merlot 2016

Gartelmann Phillip Alexander Cabernet Merlot 2016

  08:30    Stu.

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Cabernet the principal player here, leading with its comely chocolate and juicy berry goodness. Enticing all who pass its way. 

Mudgee produces some fine reds, this no exception - the fruit comes from Rylstone, an unofficial sub-region just a little way out of town - and is classically structured. Hints of brown spice flow through the finish. Good level of sustain and generosity. 91 

Tasted on: Sunday 5th April
Source: Sample
Price: $30
Alcohol: 14.7%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://www.gartelmann.com.au/

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Shaw Wines Merlot 2017

Shaw Wines Merlot 2017

  08:30    Stu.

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Consistent profile from that which I recall last year, the tobacco perhaps a touch more prominent.

Juicy blackcurrant fruit sitting over the top of that and flowing through the core of the wine. 

Smooth, medium bodied, purity of fruit with a fine touch of tannin. Slight spike of warmth toward the back palate, perhaps a showing of its 14%, yet for that it feels in balance to that glass-like purity of fruit. 92 

Tasted on: Wednesday 8th April 
Source: Sample
Price: $28 
Alcohol: 14%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://shawwines.com.au/

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Wirra Wirra Church Block 2018

Wirra Wirra Church Block 2018

  08:30    Stu.

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Excellent value here in this stalwart red blend (51/ 38/ 11% Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Merlot respectively) from Wirra Wirra in McLaren Vale.

Deep, rich, cedar, mulberry with remnants of cassis barely riding shotgun. It's of its parts, its place, and its heritage. The palate is of a darker bent than in previous years, it's assured of a road ahead of it, yet give it a good decant and it will reward now. 

Flowing evenly across the palate, assured in its conviction; tannins are tight and fine, suggestive of that structure around which it will gain in complexity. Length and conviction. Drink now to ten years. 92 

Tasted on: Wednesday 13th May 
Source: Sample
Price: $22
Alcohol: 14.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://www.wirrawirra.com/

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Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard Cabernet Franc Merlot 2016

Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard Cabernet Franc Merlot 2016

  08:30    Stu.

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Classic right bank (Bordeaux) blend of Cabernet Franc (as opposed to Cabernet Sauvignon being king on the left). Wrattonbully in the far east of the state of South Australia has a cool, maritime influenced, climate - from memory the whalebone reference being to the fact the region was under sea way back in the past, and whale bone have been found in the region.

Cabernet France's aromatic play is on show here, bright and intense, puppy blackcurrant and suggestions of redcurrant. Can be mistaken for a mintiness; bright, fragrant and fresh. The palate seemingly at odds to that, carrying a depth and intensity. It conveys the freshness, granted; fine and silt like tannin building in intensity, drawing flavour with it.

The Tapanappa wines are generally exceptional, this carrying on that fine lineage. Should be in the cellar of every Australian wine lover. 95 

Tasted on: Sunday 1st March 
Source: Sample
Price: $90
Alcohol: 15%
Closure: Cork
Website: https://tapanappa.com.au/

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Mérite Q Merlot 2016

Mérite Q Merlot 2016

  17:07    Stu.

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For all that Merlot is maligned, it's a pleasure to see another producer giving the due care and attention this noble variety deserves. 

It's a single vineyard wine from Wrattonbully in South Australia, made from a single clone - Q45 - one of a number of new clones now available in Australia that could well redeem the variety.

Conveys a brightness, an aromatic freshness, in fact one that could perhaps remind of Cabernet Franc. An initial juiciness on the palate gives way to a fine grained structure that carries with it a depth of flavour. Milk chocolate, plum, barest hint of Mediterranean herbs all flow effortlessly, creating a sensory memory of a wine that exudes sheer class. 93

Tasted on: Wednesday 4th March 2016
Source: Sample
Price: $32
Alcohol: 14%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.meritewines.com/

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Oakridge Merlot 2013

Oakridge Merlot 2013

  08:30    Stu.

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Yarra Merlot at 7y, fleshy and meaty; juxtaposition of Plum and damson like fruit amongst that.

Slick, almost glycerol like, oak remnants - on a 7y old - spice and touches of black olive across the palate. Finishes strong, assertive and yet balanced. 92 

Tasted on: Saturday 8th February
Source: Cellar Door
Price: $30
Alcohol: 13.2%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://www.oakridgewines.com.au/

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Anim Field Blend 2019

Anim Field Blend 2019

  08:30    Stu.

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A wickedly juicy and delicious all-sorts field blend - in the true sense, being a blend of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo and Muscat; picked on a single day and co-fermented - that comes across as a riot of red fruit, both aromatically and on the palate. 

Something like barely ripe raspberry that has got into a tete a tete with sour cherry and cranberry. It's Pinot-esque in its representation, light lithe and supple. Sappy and stemmy notes, seemingly an afterthought to the bright and juicy fruit. Just a sheer delight to drink. 93 

Tasted on: Wednesday 15th January 
Source: Retail, The Wine Experience
Price: $32
Alcohol: 13%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.animwine.com/

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Aylesbury Estate Waterfall Gully Merlot 2018

Aylesbury Estate Waterfall Gully Merlot 2018

  16:00    Stu.

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Black olive tapenade, Mediterranean herb, blackcurrant and hints of tobacco. Varietal and true Merlot from WA's Ferguson Valley.

Full bodied, succulent, hints of sweeter - blackcurrant - edged fruit. Powdery, almost chalky, edged tannin. Depth of finish to the wine, perhaps not quite betraying its 15%. Well handled nonetheless. 90 

Tasted on: Tuesday 5th November, a Root to Flower day
Source: Sample
Price: $23
Alcohol: 15%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://www.aylesburyestate.com.au/

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Patina Jezza 2016

Patina Jezza 2016

  08:30    Stu.

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A blend of Merlot, Cabs Franc and Sauv; blend unknown. Made only in the best years (and the first such release I'm aware of in some 8-9 years of knowing the brand/label).

Certainly more oak dominant on the nose, deep and heavy, suppressing the fruit initially. Beyond that, it's an attractive offer of roast capsicum, green leaf, veering to violet and something like choc-mint.

Palate reflects a similar bent, deep and heavy set; a suggestion acidity for added freshness, but really built for the long haul. Impressive structure and framing, nice to see a wine (not billed as such) in a reserve moniker and the quality matching the same. This will live long. 95

Tasted on: Wednesday 30th October, a Leaf day

Source: Sample
Price: $65
Alcohol: 14%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://patinawines.com.au/

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Brash Higgins MRLO 2017

Brash Higgins MRLO 2017

  08:30    Stu.

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From the Lennon Vineyard in McLaren Vale; sees 7m in amphora and has an addition of 10% Nero d'Avola included in final bottling. I was feeling creative this day.

Black fruit and herbal tangs, something darker lurking beneath; 

Seven months in Clay amphora, Nero d'Avola added for extra relief;

A silken palate, racy - possessing verve;

Easily consumed, pour another serve. 

A touch of wild herb across the middle;

Perhaps a contribution from the Nero, not content to play second fiddle.

Finishing well a touch of fine tannin;
Deliciously savoury, to your cellar you should be adding. 92 

Tasted on: Thursday 3rd October, a Leaf day
Source: Wine Club Purchase
Price: $39
Alcohol: 13.8%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://www.brashhiggins.com/

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Juniper Small Batch Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

Juniper Small Batch Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

  18:00    Stu.

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Whole bunch pressed to French barriques (of which 20% new) for 15 months. It's predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon (86%), with small additions of Malbec (5%), Merlot (5%), and Petit Verdot (4%) in the blend.

Intentionally made in a juicier and earlier drinking style of Margaret River Cabernet. The vineyard from which the fruit was harvested was planted in 2008, it lies on Metricup Road in Wilyabrup.

Fresh and fragrant, black and red fruit mix with a subtle savoury line extending from the initial aromatic play.

Soft and inviting, delicate tannin; latent hint of cocoa bitterness sit square and extends length through to a twist of pepper, anise even. 90

Tasted on: Wednesday 28th August, a Flower to Leaf day
Source: Sample
Price: $27
Alcohol: 14%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: https://www.juniperestate.com.au

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Alkoomi White Label Cabernet Merlot 2017

Alkoomi White Label Cabernet Merlot 2017

  08:30    Stu.

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Black fruit leads with doughy, nigh fudgey oak character. Hints of seasoning add to that - giving overall appeal of a crowd pleasing. easy going red.

Fairs better on the palate, the fruit being more prominent, over tobacco and leaf, albeit with an astringent, bittering. 

That is an aspect that forms the lasting impression of the wine, sadly. 86 

Tasted on: Thursday 29th August, a Leaf day
Source: Sample
Price: $18
Alcohol: 14.5%
Closure: Screwcap
Website: http://www.alkoomiwines.com.au

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Wills Domain Cuvee d'Elevage NV

Wills Domain Cuvee d'Elevage NV

  12:30    Stu.

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Darker salmon hued sparkler here, from Wills Domain in Margaret River. Somewhat unusually made from 100% Merlot.

Fine mousse, light bead, subtle strawberry, giving way to something akin to a more confected Berry aromatics. Slight bready hint accompanies warmed through stonefruit notes.

Kiss of fruit sweetness on entry, drawing the same long across the palate. It's light, vibrant, a youthful energy shuffling across to a generous finish. 89

Tasted on: Sunday 18th August, a Flower to Leaf day
Source: Sample
Price: $39
Alcohol: 12%
Closure: DIAM
Website: https://willsdomain.com.au

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