Winemaker Notes
Opens with aromas of black currant and chocolate framed by earthy truffle and floral notes.
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2011 Clarendon Hills Brookman Merlot shows excellent balance. TASTING NOTES: This wine delivers just the right amount of everything. Its aromas and flavors of perky and bright red fruits stay long and vibrant through the wine's finish. Pair it with nicely-grilled pork chops. (Tasted: June 20, 2019, San Francisco, CA)
With generous fruit and supple tannins, Merlot is made in a range of styles from everyday-drinking to world-renowned and age-worthy. Merlot is the dominant variety in the wines from Bordeaux’s Right Bank regions of St. Emilion and Pomerol, where it is often blended with Cabernet Franc to spectacular result. Merlot also frequently shines on its own, particularly in California’s Napa Valley. Somm Secret—As much as Miles derided the variety in the 2004 film, Sideways, his prized 1961 Château Cheval Blanc is actually a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
Known for opulent red wines with intense power and concentration, McLaren Vale is home to perhaps the most “classic” style of Australian Shiraz. Vinified on its own or in Rhône Blends, these hot-climate wines are deeply colored and high in extract with signature hints of dark chocolate and licorice. Cabernet Sauvignon is also produced in a similar style.
Whites, often made from Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc tend to be opulent and full of tropical, stone and citrus fruit.