Winemaker Notes
The 2014 Downes Merlot is sourced from a three-hectare plot, divided into five parcels representing the five clones grown on the site. The nose is quite youthful with notes of light cocoa powder and light baking spice shading the dark red plum fruit tones with a touch of meatiness coming through as well. Medium fuller bodied and showing youthful vibrancy and freshness, the fruit tones are deep red and lifted and touched up with graphite with good acidity and a note of minerality, while the tannins are firmer giving good supporting grip on the backend. Still youthfully clinched this should really come together with a year or two more of bottle age where it should show well for several more years after that.
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.
This high-elevation, cool-climate district, nestled into the ancient sandstone Hottentots Holland Mountains, traditionally was apple orchard land. Today Elgin is also a source of exceptional Chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc and Pinot noir.