Geoff Merrill Wines McLaren Vale Shiraz Grenache Mourvèdre 2016
- 89
- $28
- Drink by: 2023-2030
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Geoff Merrill customarily builds full ripeness into his fruit and long barrel time into his wines in order to make age-worthy reds. With seven years on its side, this SGM bears that Merrill imprint. Some savoury secondary development is on show in leather and game. A lacquered wood character isn’t shy in coming forward, but then Geoff Merrill wines could never be accused of shyness. Get set from the start for a cascade of licorice, chocolate, mint-choc and pot pourri aromatics mixing with blackberry, black cherry, earth, leather and game aromas. It’s a full on first meeting of nose and scent, chock-full of so much. The pace doesn’t let up on the palate, it’s full steam ahead in textural richness and fruit power enlivened by some Grenache-led confection in musk and licorice strap which bring aromatic lift and interest among the savoury notes. One for that big hearty winter casserole you might be planning. It can take it.
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.
