Nightfall Lupus Merlot 2019

Merlot from Coonawarra may have had a little bit of a chequered history but it certainly has its fans. And over time, the region has proved as good as anywhere in the land for the variety. This spent seven days on skins, pressed directly to new barrels. Maturation was for two years in a seven year old barrel, though the oak certainly does not intrude here. Deep maroon hue. We have notes of plums and fruitcake, black fruits, shavings of cedar and hints of cloves. This is medium weight, but it does not quite have the intensity we‘ve seen with the Cabernets, which is no surprise. Fine tannins, decent length, this is a focused wine with a good future, at least six to eight years. Would step up even further with a little more intensity throughout.