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For Your Pleasure
"For your pleasure
In our present state
Part false part true
Like anything
We present ourselvesThe words we use tumble
All over your shoulder
Gravel hard and looseThere all night lying
With your dark horse hiding
Abhorring such extremes" - Bryan FerryCategories
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Category Archives: Merlot et al
2012 Willow Bridge Dragonfly Cabernet Merlot
A blend of 55% Cabernet and 45% Merlot from the Ferguson Valley in Geographe. A little rough and ready perhaps but the personality hasn’t been polished away. That means a lot to me when we’re talking about a sub $20 red wine. … Continue reading
2011 Forester Estate Cabernet Merlot
A blend of Cabernet, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Smells much like these sort of blends from the Margaret River generally do. Bay leaf, raspberry, bitumen and blackcurrant. So far so good. It gets lost in translation on the palate … Continue reading
2011 Maxwell Little Demon Cabernet Merlot
Would you like me to insert a little introduction mentioning the trials of the 2011 vintage in certain areas of Australia? No, I didn’t think so… 70% Cabernet, 30% Merlot. Sweet, slightly confected black fruits on the palate with a … Continue reading
2009 Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard Merlot Cabernet Franc
Apart from a short heat wave at the end of January, 2009 was a cooler vintage in Wrattonbully. The coolest since 2005. It’s made for an even better rendition of the Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard Merlot Cabernet Franc than the terrific … Continue reading
2009 Oakridge Over the Shoulder Cabernet Merlot
The bushfires that tore through the Yarra Valley in 2009 are strongly linked to the Wilco’s “Poor Places” in my head. I had become obsessed with the song’s lyrics and composition with its inexplicable yet compelling cascading piano coda which … Continue reading
2011 Cape Mentelle Trinders Cabernet Merlot
An almost introverted wine. One that makes its case quietly but convincingly. There’s 7% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc in here as well. I like that it doesn’t try to force itself on you. Violets, cassis, chocolate and cedar on … Continue reading
2011 Handpicked Margaret River Cabernet Merlot
Not a lot of finesse in this offering. And the Margaret River is certainly capable of producing Cabernet blends of poise and sophistication. Blackcurrants, mulberries, violets, autumnal and gum leaf on the nose. A bit of capsicum too and a fair whack … Continue reading
2003 Redman The Redman
Often, flagships can be a letdown. No such problem here. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Merlot that’s in a gorgeous place right now but hasn’t finished its journey yet. Intriguing bottle-age characters of meat jus, tomato seeds, jerky, faded … Continue reading
2010 Ferngrove Cabernet Merlot
I’m sometimes (overly?) critical of less-expensive wines for lacking character. Well, there’s some personality here [cough]. Horse stables and raw meat. No, we’re not solely in the realms of pure concocted fruit flavour here – although we have some of that … Continue reading
2008 Tapanappa Whalebone Vineyard Merlot Cabernet Franc
Wrattonbully appears to have a genuine future as a Merlot producing region. The addition of 40% Cabernet Franc adds a good deal of interest as well. The Whalebone Vineyard was planted in 1974 and it’s producing some exciting wines already. … Continue reading