
Red Wine, Merlot
Merlot in Australia is not a variety you will often see unblended, until recently. It is most often used to add suppleness and mid-palate to Cabernet’s stern, serious structure. In Australia, Merlot is now achieving considerable recognition as a varietal wine. Merlot blended wines are available from the warmer inland regions, such as Riverina, Riverland and Murray Darling. Single varietal Merlot from the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale produces a softer dry plummy wine. Whereas the cooler climates such as the Yarra Valley and Margaret River tends to take on more savoury characters with firmer tannins.
It is the most widely planted grape in Bordeaux, France where planting has rapidly expanded throughout the world in the last decade. Merlot is adaptable to most soils, is relatively simple to cultivate and is a naturally high yielding. In St Emilion and Pomerol, it withstands the moist clay-rich soils far better than Cabernet, producing opulently rich, plummy wines. Le Pin, Pétrus and Clinet are examples of some of the best (and most expensive) Merlot based wines.
Merlot is now grown in virtually all wine growing countries and is particularly successful in New Zealand, California, Chile and Northern Italy. New Zealand's Hawkes Bay is producing outstanding Merlot-based blends, especially from the Gimblett Gravels.
It is the most widely planted grape in Bordeaux, France where planting has rapidly expanded throughout the world in the last decade. Merlot is adaptable to most soils, is relatively simple to cultivate and is a naturally high yielding. In St Emilion and Pomerol, it withstands the moist clay-rich soils far better than Cabernet, producing opulently rich, plummy wines. Le Pin, Pétrus and Clinet are examples of some of the best (and most expensive) Merlot based wines.
Merlot is now grown in virtually all wine growing countries and is particularly successful in New Zealand, California, Chile and Northern Italy. New Zealand's Hawkes Bay is producing outstanding Merlot-based blends, especially from the Gimblett Gravels.
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- As with all Zilzie wines, this represents outstanding value and superb quality for the price. Perfect every day wine from one of the oldest wine producing families in Australia. ... Learn MoreZilzie 'Selection 23' Merlot 2020$13.99 Per item
- 12 months in tight grain French and American oak. The nose has primarily lifted strawberry and plum fruit characters. Medium-bodied with an abundance of the primary characters carried through from the nose of plum and strawberry there is also a presence ... Learn MoreThorn Clarke 'Sandpiper' Merlot 2018$14.99 Per item
- Clare Valley's Koerner Wine scored the top gong in the national wine competition. Winemaking brothers Damon and Jono Koerner, from Koerner Wine in the Clare Valley, have been crowned the 2019 Young Gun of Wine (YGOW). "Brothers Koerner showcases our two ... Learn MoreKoerner Brothers Adelaide Hills Rose 2019$29.99 Per item
- The 2019 vintage shows how superb Merlot can be in Australia, when handled well, and this wine can sit proudly with its harmonious power and elegance. Deep red colour in the glass. Beautiful perfumed aromas of plum, red berries, spice. With ... Learn MoreElderton Estate Merlot 2019$29.99 Per item
- Founded in 1570 by the Picoron family, Château Picoron has a long history of wine. Now days, Château Picoron is operated by an Australian family. What we produce is as much a celebration of the history of our winery, ... Learn MoreChateau Petit Picoron Bordeaux 2016$34.99 Per item
- Winemaker Notes Situated 215 metres above sea level, Clarendons cooler viticultural conditions yield Merlot grapes which enable our winemakers to craft a flavoursome and complex wine that is ready to enjoy now, yet will cellar well enabling the development of further ... Learn MoreTatachilla Clarendon Vineyard Merlot 1998$35.00 Per item
- From St Huberts road / Yarra Valley floor ... dark purple in colour with an intense nose of black fruit. Cassis and red plums on the palate with a soft pressed herb and leafy characters on the aftertaste. A mineral note and ... Learn MoreMayer Merlot 2021$50.00 Per item
- "Widely regarded as one of the best wineries in the region, producing glorious chardonnay, power-laden semillon and elegant cabernet sauvignon that lives for decades. Moss Wood also owns RibbonVale Estate, the wines treated as vineyard-designated within the Moss Wood umbrella." 5 ... Learn MoreMoss Wood Ribbon Vale Merlot 2018$64.99 Per item
- The Revivalist has a powerful bouquet of black cherry, milk chocolate and a touch of bay laurel. Bold flavours of blackberries and barrel toast are enveloped in a lush mouthfeel. Hardly lacking in structure, the wine is incredibly balanced with ... Learn MoreHickinbotham The Revivalist Merlot 2018$72.99 Per item
- The Revivalist has a powerful bouquet of black cherry, milk chocolate and a touch of bay laurel. Bold flavours of blackberries and barrel toast are enveloped in a lush mouthfeel. Hardly lacking in structure, the wine is incredibly balanced with ... Learn MoreHickinbotham The Revivalist Merlot 2019$75.00 Per item
- Vinification: Picking date determined by berry sensory analysis. Hand-picked and sorted by clonal batches. Fully-destemmed then lightly crushed, fermentation in small stainless-steel vats by clonal batches at 23c with remontage twice-daily for 7 days. Racked into barrels to complete fermentation then ... Learn MoreMerite Ultra Merlot 2015$130.00 Per item
- Château Canon is a Premier Grand Cru Classé château in Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux. It owns pockets of vineyards close to Saint-Émilion town, with a large core parcel right on the very edge. ... Learn MoreChateau Canon 2018$329.00 Per item
- Château Canon is a Premier Grand Cru Classé château in Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux. It owns pockets of vineyards close to Saint-Émilion town, with a large core parcel right on the very edge. ... Learn MoreChateau Canon 2016$329.00 Per item
- Château Bélair-Monange is a Bordeaux winery and vineyard rated as a Grand Cru Classé B in the classification of Saint-Émilion estates. It makes red wine based on Merlot with a subsidiary component of Cabernet Franc. It was ... Learn MoreChateau Belair Monange 2018$450.00 Per item
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Located 35 kilometers south of Adelaide, the seaside winemaking town of McLaren Vale is considered the birthplace of wine in South Australia. The region’s first settlers came from England in 1838, and quickly recognized the farming potential of McLaren Vale’ ... Learn More
- One of the great names and terroirs of Saint Emilion whose wines exude class and sophistication rather than raw power. There has been some serious improvements here recently under winemaker Frédéric Faye. Michel Rolland has been brought in ... Learn MoreChateau Figeac 2018$640.00 Per item
- Château Angélus is a Premier Grand Cru Classé A estate on south-facing slopes in Saint-Émilion, on the right bank of the Gironde in Bordeaux. The château was so named because of the presence of church bells ... Learn MoreChateau Angelus Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2018$1,000.00 Per item