Community Tasting Notes 11

• crazywineguy Likes this wine: 93 points

  April 16, 2020 - Burgundy centre, orange rim. Rich, heady, alcoholic mulberry and plum nose, cedar and sandalwood notes. Glorious high toned merlot extracted wine. Unbelievably mid development with still good acid and tannin to the backbone. Hint of orange zest lift. Drinking superbly and can be done so at your leisure. Southern Hemisphere Merlot at 18 years like this? Only James Irvine can achieve this feat.

  Comment

• EK8228 Likes this wine: 92 points

  March 30, 2019 - Agree with the reviews; a smooth yet complex deep red wine with a soft finish. I’m keeping the rest for another 3 years.

  Comment

• crazywineguy Likes this wine: 93 points

  February 28, 2019 - This one tasted younger, pristine cork. No change in 12 months and this continues with a youthful, full frontal fruit intensity and extraction and a Big Merlot for Big Men (joke). Many bottles of consumption have confirmed this is somewhat high in histamine and can produce a headache (couldn't be the alcohol, could it?), solved by taking an antihistamine before imbibing. This ranks just behind the legendary 2005 Grand Merlot in quality and equals it in likely longevity.

  Comment

• crazywineguy Likes this wine: 93 points

  February 13, 2018 - Dark with orange rim. Mulberry and alcohol warmth. Smells mature but not old (not 16 years definitely). Smooth big taste with complex berry elements and cocoa nibs. Perhaps a tad of volatile acidity creeping in. still some acid on the back palate. Remarkable merlot, remarkable survivor. Vini Ciclismo nailed the taste descriptors.

  Comment

• Psdycp wrote: 90 points

  February 25, 2016 - Very shy nose compared to the 1999. Some red and plummy fruit with damp earth. On the palate, there were preserved plums, baked tomato and stone minerality in the mid-palate with ripe red fruits in the undertones. Need plenty of time to open up. Some dark cocoa and spices emerged after 1.5 hour, the mid-palate also opened up with savory tones. Finish could be longer though. Overall less successful vintage for Grand Merlot.

  Comment

Pro Reviews 2

Wine Definition

• Vintage 2002
• Type Red
• Producer Irvine
• Varietal Merlot
• Designation Grand Merlot
• Vineyard n/a
• Country Australia
• Region South Australia
• SubRegion Barossa
• Appellation Eden Valley
• UPC Code 9322836009011

Community Holdings

• Pending Delivery 0 (0%)
• In Cellars 62 (48%)
• Consumed 66 (52%)

Food Pairing

Who Likes This Wine

More About This Wine