Hey Everyone,
Today's wine to try is, in my opinion, an excellent bottle of one of my favourite grapes. Despite the bad press given to Merlot, I believe that it can produce some of the most delightful wines on the market. What is best about Merlot is that it does not have to be expensive to be good, but there are a few examples of world class Merlot that deserve a tip of the hat.
Just a bit of background, Merlot is the principal grape in some of the most important wines in the world, and when vinified to it's full potential, it produces the tannin and acidity needed for long ageing. Important wineries, including Le Pin, Cheval Blanc (where it is heavily blended with Cabernet Franc) and Petrus make the finest examples of Merlot and the best vintages can fetch astronomical prices.
Tonight's bottle is a Merlot from South Africa, in particular from the Stellenbosch region which produces a great proportion of South Africa's best wines. As one of my earlier posts on South Africa's wine industry makes clear, I firmly believe that this remote wine producing nation is very much an old soul in the new world. This Merlot, with its characteristics of the terroir and tannin, is very much an old world style of wine.
The wine is deep in colour with an opaque colouring. Three years on from vintage, you would expect a new world Merlot to fade a little bit, but this one is really quite inky in colour. The glass, as I swirl, is coated with thick, slow running legs, hinting at the high alcohol levels inherent in the wine.
The nose, after a bit of breathing is full of all kinds of wonderful things essential to a good Merlot. There is black berry, rasberry, hints of brambe and cassis, all proped up by rich roasted coffee and dark chocolate. There is a chalky element coming through which I believe hints at the soil of the vineyards, indicating that this wine was made with the intention that it reflect it's sense of place in the fashion of an old world wine maker.
The palate is rich and velvety with few flaws. The tannins are big and pleasing, with a chunkiness that I desire from a full-bodied wine. There are bitter elements reminiscent of the feeling left in the mouth after swallowing some 85% dark chocolate. If anything, the mineral could be more pronounced and the tannin a bit more forward. Basically, I feel that this wine has the markings of a very skilled winemaker who may be holding back for his more premium labels.
I would be very interested to try a more special Thelema bottling. I would be looking for a more bold style, with bigger tannins, more forward acidity, a greater emphasis on the terroir and overall a more Bordelais style. I feel that is what Thelema wants to produce.
All in all, I loved today's wine. I think that, as a daily drinking wine, it is a cracking bottle and for the price of just over fifteen pounds, it is a great value bottle. For those looking for a silky, chocolatey merlot executed with an esteem for class and the goal of producing an elegant Merlot, this is the bottle!
Much Love,
G
Posted with Blogsy
No comments:
Post a Comment