Geoff Merrill Reserve Cabernet 2015
- 95
- $50
- Drink by: 2024-2039
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A multi-regional blend – 56% Coonawarra and 44% McLaren Vale – the wine spent two and a half years in new French and American oak hogsheads. During that period, the winemaking team make a barrel selection to identify those that will be included in the Reserve. A near opaque maroon, this is deep and dense but finely balanced. Supple, seamless, rich and intense, you will not find many local wines on the shelves with this much age under their belt, and most especially at this price. A bargain! There are dark chocolate notes, licorice, mulberries and a slight briary note to add to the complexity. Serious length here making this a cracker and, even though it already has almost a decade in its rear view, hardly noticeable, there is still a good ten to fifteen years ahead.
Ken was born and bred in Brisbane, Queensland. He had a non-trendy, perfectly happy childhood, in a family convinced alcohol meant instant condemnation to Hades. But a break fishing on the Great Barrier Reef, and some good wine, started a serious obsession that eventually took over. It did not stop Ken being chastised later for drinking Pol champagne, disgusted he’d drink anything made by a Cambodian dictator. Now, Ken mostly writes on wine, champagne and spirits for various newspapers, magazines and books, but is perhaps best known for his work in The Courier Mail. He also has a little sideline writing on cigars, fishing, travel and food. When not writing, fly-fishing for trout in NZ or bonefish on the flats of Cuba, travelling or smoking cigars, he is no doubt following a variety of sporting teams – the occasionally glorious Queensland Reds rugby, the dysfunctional Washington Redskins, the dodgy Arsenal and especially revels in the world restored to its proper axis with the return of the Ashes to their rightful home.
