Grant Burge Hillcot Barossa Merlot 2019 (Australia)

Description

• French & American oak
• Blackberry
• Mocha & sage
• Fien tannins

Red and purple hues. Aromas of blackberry, cherry, mint, dark chocolate, mocha and sage. The juicy palate has a perfect balance between fine integrated tannin and good lengthy persistence of chocolate and red berry flavours

The cool and wet conditions followed by warm conditions during summer resulted in a very late vintage. The extended hang time on the vine with increased canopy density due to the wet spring and summer allowed the fruit to attain excellent flavour ripeness, while maintaining good levels of natural acidity.

The fruit was crushed into static fermenters and left on skins to extract the colour and flavour of the fruit. The wine was fermented at between 24-28 degrees C to retain delicate fruit characters. The wine was matured in a combination of French and American oak for 15 months before being bottled.

Grant Burge was a pioneer of Merlot in the Barossa Valley and planted the first Barossa Merlot vineyard in the Hillcot Vineyard in 1982. When our first straight Merlot was produced, there were only two others available in Australia, and although there are more straight Merlots being produced now, Grant Burge Hillcot Merlot sits among the top-selling Merlots in its price bracket.