History

Until 1992 Elderton had used the small amounts of Merlot produced from the Estate as a blending tool with Cabernet. In 1992 the individual parcel of Merlot was exceptional and the decision was made to make a single varietal that encompassed the best that Merlot had to offer. The Elderton Merlot has now been frequently recognised amongst the best five Merlots in the country and one of the most consistent as well. The 2006 vintage shows how superb Merlot can be in this country when handled well, and we believe this wine to sit proudly in our portfolio for its amazing control on power and harmony.

Winemaking

Harvested at about 150 Baumé in the cool of the night, the fruit is crushed and inoculated with a selected yeast strain for fermentation. Over the six day ferment the wine is pumped over at least twice daily for further flavour and colour extraction. Matured in mainly French oak puncheons for 24 months, this wine offers integrated fruit flavours with balance and length.

Viticulture

The Elderton vineyard, which is about 72 acres in size, only has two small blocks of Merlot. Both of theses blocks are towards the back of the vineyard, on the highest point where the soils are much sandier and freer draining than those that are closer to the river bed. With a Mediterranean climate, the Baumé reaches 14 to 15 and quite unlike traditional Bordeaux, we have found great results in allowing the fruit to ripen significantly on the vine. 2006 was a magnificent vintage for Merlot, a reasonably cool and dry year, providing us with small parcels of amazingly intense Merlot fruit.

Awards

•  2009 Barossa Wine Show - BRONZE MEDAL
•  WBM WINE100 - 91 POINTS
•  2008 Melbourne Wine Show - BRONZE MEDAL
•  The Big Red Wine Book - 91 POINTS
•  The Wine Front – Campbell Mattinson - 91 POINTS
•  2009 Sydney International Wine Competition - HIGHLY COMMENDED

Reviews

•  Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar Sep/Oct ’08 Issue - Bright red. Red berry, cherry, chocolate and mint on the nose. Deeper cherry pit and cassis flavours are unencumbered by tannins and betray no rough edges. Supple and inviting merlot, finishing clean and sweetly persistent. 89 points
•  91 POINTS - Tyson Stelzer, Wine 100 - May Issue 2009 - Although perhaps not easily identifiable as a Merlot, there is no question that this is a great Barossa red. It's packed with layers of ripe black fruits and liquorice, underlaid by savoury oak and well-integrated tannins.
•  91 POINTS - Campbell Mattinson & Gary Walsh, The Wine Front - “There’s a bit of rich, smooth oak here, so to like the wine you have to be prepared to cop this, err, sweet. It tasted of chocolate and blackberries, cedarwood and mulberries, the fruit fleshiness of it offset by firm, almost ironstone-like tannins. It has reasonable length and a good mix of both plump fruit generosity and admirable restraint. Not too shabby!"
•  James Halliday - Australian Wine Companion 2011 - 89 POINTS