1995 Irvine Grand Merlot

Tasting notes sourced from Irvine wines.

The Irvine Grand Merlot is rated as one of Australia's and the worlds best having beaten wines such as Petrus, Antinori and Mondavi in a tasting to judge the worlds best Merlot. Grown on shallow loam over gravel, the vineyard is very well drained. The fruit is picked late in the season when the days are very short and the baume has reached 14.0 or better. The picking takes place around midday to avoid any possibility of dew pick-up and to ensure the crushed grapes are warm to start the ferment quickly. The wine is bottled after four years wood aging and then given three months bottle age before release.Wonderful deep garnet colour. On the nose, there is high tannin and spicy oak lift with cherry, chocolate and plums in the background. This is a very tight, firm wine with backbone that needs time in the bottle for the fruit flavours to lift over the oak influence. The palate has huge flavour with full ripeness and vinosity driving plentiful soft drying tannins; an incredible number of characters each adding its own flavour note to give a vinous symphony for a grand wine. Very long aftertaste and great complexity. Cellar 10-15 years.