Hawke’s Bay is one of only a few places in the world that produces really good Merlot. Too cold and it becomes an insipid, green Cabernet, and too hot it is just a brown, jammy mediocrity. A great Merlot can outlast Cabernets. This year the single-vineyard Merlot from Church Road is from the Redstone Vineyard in Bridge Pa, Hawke’s Bay. The perfume is joyfully varietal – Black plum, raspberry, dark chocolate, thyme and graphite – unfurling aromatic red and black fruits. The palate is as elegant and complex as it is plush and brooding. A grip of fine, supple tannin and elements of iron-earth minerality weaves through it. Oak and acidity are in the sidelines, supporting and not intrusive. The finish is ripe and persistent. The pick of this series, for me. 96pts
Church Road ‘1’ Merlot 2021
