Puriri Hills Pope Clevedon Merlot Blend 2013

Description

"A blend of merlot, carmenere, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon and malbec. Named not in honour of the Pontiff but after a highly appreciated past employee. Surprisingly more accessible than the more firmly structured Harmonie du Soir label and the entry-level Estate label, this is elegance on a grand scale with a truly impressive depth of dark berry, floral, violet, spice and subtle savoury and dried herb notes. It’s a wonderful demonstration of power delivered with great subtlety. A generously proportioned wine that promises to be a long-distance runner" Bob Campbell, Master of Wine

"Full of youthful promise, the 2013 vintage is a classy blend of Merlot (70 per cent), Cabernet Franc (10 per cent), Carménère (10 per cent), Cabernet Sauvignon (5 per cent) and Malbec (5 per cent), matured in French oak casks (100 per cent new). Deeply coloured, it has a fragrant, youthful, berryish, spicy bouquet, leading into a full-bodied, already very approachable wine, with densely packed, complex plum, blackcurrant and spice flavours, firm, savoury and persistent. Best drinking 2020" Michael Cooper

An historical release, the 2013 vintage was more generous than any other in recent memory. High yields of Merlot resulted in the highest proportion ever in the blend (70%) which aligns Puriri Hills’ top wine even closer to the supreme opulence and elegance of a Grand Cru right-bank Bordeaux, Pomerol specifically. This is reflected in the seductive, perfumed nose, which unfurls layers of complexity over time in the glass, with red fruits, florals, fig, truffle and spice box. The texture on the palate is show-stopping, magnificently pulling off a distinctive balance of apparent weightlessness with persistence. Hugely long-lived, this wine could be Judy’s first to comfortably push past 20 years’ worth of drinking window.