A CLARE VALLEY Riesling to think about with fresh-shucked oysters now, or not again until 2036 – and, yes, that is 20 years away. |
MERLOT GOES SO WELL WITH SO MUCH
David Ellis
WE'VE long sung the praises of Merlot as a wine that goes so well with such a diversity of dining options, and one we had a few glasses of recently simply further furthered our love of this oh-so-enjoyable little drop.
Focus of that recent attention was a 2013 Weemala label from Logan Wines in NSW's Central Ranges, and made up of 60% fruit from the company's vineyards at Orange that gave it its juicy blueberry flavours, and the remaining 40% from Mudgee that added nice suggestions of boysenberry fruit to the glass.
Owner and senior winemaker, Peter Logan says he pruned developing fruit bunches early in the growing season to keep yields per vine low, being a firm believer that Merlot is one of those varietals that does not like being overcropped. "2013 was an ideal vintage in the Central Ranges for red wines generally," he says.
"Being sunny and marginally warmer than average with no excess rain, after what we'd had to do in the vineyards it resulted in full-flavoured fruit with ripe tannins – so that the wine essentially made itself out there in those vineyards."
With those nice soft yet juicy blueberry and boysenberry characters, this is a lovely drop to enjoy with a quite diverse range of foods from roast pork loin, to even salmon or a lighter-style lamb-based shepherd's pie on a winter's night – and the more so with its $19.95 price tag.
16 May 2016
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