Elderton Estate Barossa Merlot 2021 (Australia)

Description

• French oak
• Ripe blueberry
• Cloves & spice
• Velvety smooth

"Plenty of ripe blueberry fruit on the generous and rather creamy Barossa merlot, then some rather firm tannins come through at the bold finish. Drink now" James Suckling, Jamessuckling.com, Nov 2022

Medium bodied, vibrant, supple. Deep crimson in the glass. Plums and cloves with a floral touch. Juicy red fruits, peppered with spice and a velvety smooth yet structured finish. Drink now or cellar confidently for 5 - 10 years from vintage.

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 second 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.

A proper winter, complete with enough rain and without a frost risk, allowed us to hope for some generous fruit flavours in our 2021 Merlot. With young vines we have to be careful to manage crop levels as we expect a layer of tannin and a serious aspect to this wine. Our Merlot is harvested just metres from the winery then fermented in open vats where we carefully manage extraction to ensure the fruit carries the wine with supporting tannin. We see abundant fruit and vibrancy in this edition of our Merlot, owing to the very favourable vintage weather with little rain and no heat spikes leading into harvest time.

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. In 2021, after a couple of dry years, we experienced a more normal season with good spring rains to allow for a decent canopy and great growing conditions for our newer plantings of Merlot.