Wakefield Estate Merlot

Wine information: Wakefield Wines are located in the heart of the Clare Valley and was founded by wine merchant Bill Taylor Senior in 1969 with the purchase of 178 hectares of vineyards near the Wakefield River in Auburn. Wakefield Wines are still known under their original name of Taylor's Wines in Australia. Bill Taylor carefully chose the site for its red brown loam over limestone soils ( this is known as "terra rossa") and cool climate of the Clare valley. The same year, 1969, the first Cabernet Sauvignon vines were planted. Today Wakefield Estate is one of the most highly esteemed cool climate producers in Australia. It is also unique in the fact that all of the grapes are sourced from 400 hectares of family-owned vineyards in the winery which makes it one of the largest single estate plantings in Australia.

Tasting Notes: Wakefield Estate Merlot is deep crimson with an intense purple hue. It has aromas of dark berry fruits and ripe plum with secondary earth and spice characters evident along with lifted cedar and vanilla from oak. This wine is medium bodied with an abundance of ripe, juicy plum and red berry fruit characters. The fruit flavours are balanced by subtle spicy characters of nutmeg and cinnamon. The tannins are soft and the acids well balanced with finishing long and full-flavoured.

Food & Wine match: Try with Roast duck with Asian vegetables, Irish Stew or Lamb Curry.

Reviews: "The conundrum of the Clare Valley's antipathy to chardonnay is the opposite of it's relationship with merlot, a variety that normally flourishes in a cool maritime climate. But it doen't stop there, for this wine raises the eternal question: Who art merlot and what is she? Full colour, rich berry and fruitcake flavours, and no shortage of tannins of French and American oak, all add up to a wine with attitude. It's not going to worry the right bank of Bordeaux (Pomerol and St Emilion) because they wouldn't even recognise it as merlot." 89 points, James Halliday

 
     

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