James Sucklingjamessuckling.com
90 / 100
Very bright cedary and spicy oak on the nose. Violets, plums and a gently meaty thread leading to a palate that has rather bold, ripe fruits in the spiced plum zone. Drink or hold.
2014
Merlot
An intoxicating combination of strawberry and blackberry preserves framed by a perfect mix of sandalwood and spice. Swirling
brings red and black currants, licorice, vanilla bean and a hint of black cherry. The palate is dense but with seamless fruit and superfine tannins. Youthfully compressed but stunning nonetheless.
Vintage Notes
All the grapes are cluster sorted then destemmed and berry sorted by hand. Sorting is aggressive, but less so than some other Tenor wines because the few bits of stem actually add a nice perfume and complexity to the Merlot. The free-run juice is barreled (first unblended, then again after blending) in proprietary barrels specific to Tenor Merlot to enhance length and perfume. We actually use slightly different barrels for the different lots and mix and match to enhance the strengths of each vineyard.
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