Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 The Revivalist Merlot is being released alongside the 2020 as a museum offering, and it is abundantly clear that it is really coming into its own now, at eight years old—there is very slow evolution, super impressive. The 2014 has gained in complexity, weight and polish over the years, but it has retained its leafy and detailed character. Very impressive, and given the arc of development, this has a long way to go yet. Best after 2022.
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Tasting Panel
Toasty nose with lush plum and berry fruit; crisp and deep with a lovely style and long finish; made by Aussie master Charlie Seppelt and California superstar Chris Carpenter.
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Wine Spectator
This rich, silky red offers violet-scented blackberry and framboise notes, with vanilla bean accents and a whiff of espresso. The generous flavors and plump texture linger on the long finish. Drink now through 2027.
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James Suckling
There's a nice floral component to this, as well as some blackcurrant and vanilla character. Full body, round tannins and a fruit-driven finish. Screw cap.
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.