Geoff Merrill Wickham Park McLaren Vale Shiraz Cabernet 2017 (Australia)

Geoff Merrill Wickham Park McLaren Vale Shiraz Cabernet 2017 (Australia)French & American oak Licorice Red fruit Fine tannins "Sweetly fruited and fabulously fragrant, the bouquet shows blackberry, blackcurrant, toasted almond, mixed spice and vanilla characters. The palate delivers excellent weighted and fruit intensity, wonderfully complemented by silky texture and polished tannins. Harmonious, flavoursome and highly enjoyable" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Dec 2019 A comfortable and traditional sort of feel about this wine with

• French & American oak
• Licorice
• Red fruit
• Fine tannins

"Sweetly fruited and fabulously fragrant, the bouquet shows blackberry, blackcurrant, toasted almond, mixed spice and vanilla characters. The palate delivers excellent weighted and fruit intensity, wonderfully complemented by silky texture and polished tannins. Harmonious, flavoursome and highly enjoyable" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Dec 2019

“A comfortable and traditional sort of feel about this wine with regional chocolate character and soft, generous fruit through the palate. The oak maturation has rounded the edges and it's ready to drink whenever you are" Steven Creber, Wine Companion

"This wine forms part of our range named after our company owned vineyards in McLaren Vale. Sitting at the foothills of the Adelaide Hills, our Wickham Estate vineyards are located in one of the coolest areas in McLaren Vale providing us greater flexibility and diversity in our wine portfolio" Geoff Merrill, Winery Owner

The colour is a dark red with good depth and purple hues. The fruit aromas are ripe and intense. Savoury notes of earth, leather, black olive and licorice come forward. The small percentage of Cabernet is having a large impact both on the nose and palate, adding herbaceous fruit, fine tannins and red fruit flavours. The palate is generous in weight and texture, finishing on a fleshy cherry note with balanced acidity.

A blend of 85% Shiraz & 15% of Cabernet Sauvignon.

After a delayed start due to the rain, vintage finally got underway albeit a long & drawn out one! McLaren Vale experienced an above average winter rainfall, which helped to set up early growth of the vines. Spring was cool, and again rainfall was above average. The cooler air and soil temperatures slowed down vine development causing bud burst to be 7-10 days later than previous years. Similarly, grapevine flowering was 10 – 18 days later. A dry February and March allowed fruit to reach ripeness, conditions being ideal. Harvest dates were at least a month later than last season. The last of their fruit picked for this vintage was at the end of April, much later than they have experienced for several years. Their crop yields were good as was the quality for whites & reds, both looking outstanding with excellent flavour.

Wine matured for 18 months in seasoned American and French hogsheads.

Food Pairing: Match with sticky BBQ ribs, lamb chops or roast beef and gravy.