Gioiello Old House Merlot 2021

The grapes for the Old House Merlot receive the same treatment as the estate version, with eighteen months maturation in French oak barriques. Fans of the grape will surely be excited with this example, already benefiting from several years in the cellar. Dark maroon in colour, the nose exhibits notes of roast meats, dried herbs, Christmas cake, undergrowth, bay leaves, black cherries and plums. There is a little more complexity here than we find in the estate Merlot, as to be expected. A seductively supple texture, there are very fine, sleek tannins and a lingering finish. For drinking over the next six to eight years, this is an impressive wine.