• French oak
• Spicy blackberries
• Cinnamon
• Vibrant & supple

Deep crimson. Medium bodied, vibrant, supple. Spicy blackberries with a touch on cinnamon. Juicy red fruits, peppered with spice and a powerful and tightly woven line of berry fruits and tannin to finish. Predominantly second fill French puncheons, 14 months. Drink now or cellar confidently for 5 - 10 years from vintage.

There is a lot to be excited about with our 2022 Merlot, after a spring with sufficient rain and mild temperatures during the ripening season resulted in a steady ripening period. The young vines gaining strength year on year are developing more character which is also exciting.

As our Merlot is only a small parcel, we have to carefully choose our harvest date – we only have one shot at it! We need to balance the very bright flavours of the young fruit and the more plummy depth of the older plantings. Fermentation in our open concrete vats before maturation in seasoned oak for around 14 months give this wine time to come together and take on the warm baking spice notes from the oak. Our 2022 Merlot has great fruit weight with a lovely line of tannin to balance which adds a serious note to the finish.

Our Nuriootpa vineyard, which is approximately 72 acres in size, has only one small block of Merlot, with two newer plantings from which we took the third crop this year. These vines are towards the back of the vineyard, on the highest point, where the soils are much sandier and free-draining than those closer to the river bed. We are excited to see the vibrancy coming from the new plantings coupled with the backbone from our almost 20-year-old plantings.

Until 1992, Elderton had used the small amounts of Merlot produced from the Estate as a blending tool with Cabernet. In 1992, the individual parcel of Merlot was exceptional and the decision was made to make a single varietal that encompassed the best that Merlot had to offer. The Elderton Merlot has been frequently recognised amongst the best Merlots in the country, as well as one of the most consistent.