Description
Merricks Estate delivers exactly what I want from cool-climate Shiraz. First of all, the perfume – violets and plums with a hint of white pepper. Then the palate – fleshy black cherries nice weight on the mid-palate and a long finish. The structure helps to invigorate your palate with soft tannins and elegant acidity. Merricks Estate Thompson’s Lane Shiraz is drinking well from now and will sit on this plateau for a decade or more.
Merricks Estate Thompson’s Lane Mornington Peninsula Shiraz 2013 Wine Notes
The Wine Companion
92 Points
“Showing a tinge of development on the rim, this is another fine shiraz from a region generally more known for pinot noir and tensile chardonnay. Blueberry, wakame and barbecue flavours are sluiced with firm pucker of tannin, thrust of mid-palate density and a peppery glide across liquorish, cardamon and five-spice drawn out by bright acidity”. Ned Goodwin
Merricks Estates original vineyard, established in 1982, allows for the production of beautiful wines made from Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Bottle ageing before release is the cornerstone of Merricks Estate. Because of this, you get to drink them at their peak. Not only are the wines stunning, but they are a fantastic price for the quality you get.
Mornington Peninsula
Mornington is one of the star regions in Melbourne’s dress circle. Varied success depending on terroir and winemaker, but the best are outstanding. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay can excel with Riesling, Pinot Gris and Sparkling all capable of impressive wines too.
Shiraz/Syrah
A bit of a chameleon, Shiraz can change how it looks depending on the terroir and/or winemaker influence. The Syrah-based wines of Northern Rhone are dry and austere while the Shiraz of Barossa is opulent and fleshy. A variety that lends itself to long aging but can be drunk at any time of its evolution.
Australian Wine
The invasion of “Sunshine in a bottle” put Australian wine on the map. The fruity, easy-going, somewhat samey wines were endearing for a short time. Then the next big thing knocked them off their perch.
This forced producers to increase quality and emphasise the distinctive terroirs of Australia. Of which, there are many. And many more yet to be discovered.
Wine
Wine is the result you get from fermented grape juice. There is proof of wine production dating back 8000 years ago. Fashions, innovations and many other factors have influenced the way wine has evolved over the years.
The wine grape is special. It contains everything you need to make grape wine except for the yeast, which lives on the outside of the skins.
Human inputs can influence the final product, including the viticulture (growing) choices. And the winemaker can shape the wine to a point too.
The best wines of the world often refer to terroir. Terroir is a French term that refers to all the climatic, geological and topographical influences on a specific piece of land. And it is true that neighbouring vineyards, grown identically, can taste noticeably different.
Red Wine
Fun fact; most of the colour for wines comes from the skins. There are only a handful of grapes that have red juice. Alicante is the most well known of these grapes.
By macerating the juice on the skins, the wine gains tannins, and flavours. Certain compounds change the chemistry of the wine too.
Red wines tend to have higher alcohol. More tannin and more oak flavours compared to other styles of wine. But the thousands of grapes and terroirs they grow in influence this.
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