Driftwood Artifacts Margaret River Meritage 2021

Meritage refers to Bordeaux red blends without actually mentioning the B word or stepping upon the toes of the Bordelaise. Here we see Petit Verdot, Malbec and Cabernet getting up close to produce a strong, herbal-infused Margaret River statement with rich scents of sage, plum, blueberry, raspberry jam, black cherry, cocoa and earth. Harnesses Petit Verdot to lay a solid foundation in regional leafy herbs and earth, not to mention releasing the grape’s robust, green tea-like dry tannins. Malbec and Cabernet do the rest. Sweet, ripe black and red fruits, earth and spice are joined by a distinctive sweet jam-like character on the palate. Oak sits to the background, allowing the fruit and herbal presence their moment.

Jeni Port

Wine critic at Winepilot

Jeni Port is one of Australia’s top wine communicators. Based in Melbourne, Jeni created the first wine column in the (then) Sun News-Pictorial before moving over to The Age and becoming that paper’s longest-serving wine writer. Over the years she has written for most Australian wine magazines and these days calls WinePilot home. She is also a Tasting Panel member on the Halliday Wine Companion. She was named Wine Communicator of the Year and Legend of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival in 2014 and in 2018 Legend of the Vine. She is a founding board member of Australian Women In Wine and is the co-deputy chair of Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards and China’s Wine List of the Year Awards.

Wine writer and critic