January 18, 2022 - Drank this with wine mates at New Ubin Seafood. Was a really good chat up session as one of them only comes back once a year.
Brilliant bottle that is probably at its peak.
Really enjoyed it.
January 18, 2022 - Drank this at New Ubin Seafood (Zhong Shan Park) with 2 of my wine mates. We had foie gras with egg, har cheong gai, roasted lamb, sambal kailan and Boss Bee Hoon.
Dark purple in colour with fresh plums on the nose. On the palate, the velvety and silky structure was an instant hit together with notes of cigar box, black coffee, and a sweet, long finish.
Merlot made in an Aussie Shiraz style; combines the fleshy, plummy characteristics of the fruit married with the high energy, power and energy level of its wine making style. A wonderful marriage, indeed.
July 5, 2020 - Intense nose of olives, cigar box, hint of charcoal and aged leather. Super concentrated extracted fruit that is plush, velvety and mouthcoating. Has an umami factor to it. Mated well to some rare lamb. Medium to long finish. Very good , shall I say textbook Grand Merlot, just shaded by the 2005 (that is a legendary vintage). No signs of falling over - I'll give it 5 years plateau at this level. Nothing in Australia comes close to this merlot IMHO.
August 12, 2019 - Opened this wine at home for dinner with a group of friends from the theatre days.
Decanted for 2 hours before serving. Wine was wonderfully impressive with notes of ripe plums, coffee, aged leather and oaky notes all integrated beautifully together. Brickish brown in colour proudly displaying its age with a purple hue. Voluptuous, generous and charming in character.
Recommended to drink this wine within the next 3 to 5 years as it is likely to have reached its full potential. Do give it a full decant before consumption.
October 13, 2018 - Brought this to New Ubin Seafood last night to celebrate a mate's birthday and farewell to another who is heading to China for his overseas posting.
Decanted for 3 hours prior to serving.
Cololur of the wine is purple-brown, showing the age of the wine. The nose showed up with notes of cigar, prunes, mocca, tobacco and aged leather.
Very well integrated at this stage with a beautiful balance and harmony and smooth, silky finish. Highly enjoyable with steak, lamb chop, satay, pork collar, smoked duck and Kurobuta pork ribs.
Probably near the early end of its drinking window as the wine showed signs of tiredness towards the end of the dinner. Do consider opening a bottle or two soon if you still have this wine in your collection.
February 15, 2018 - Drank this at my parents' place for reunion dinner tonight.
Decanted for 3 hours prior to serving.
Brick-red brown with shades of purple. The wine is currently singing at the top of its voice; beautiful aromatics of red fruits (plums and cranberries) with oak, cedar, tobacco and mocha notes. Long, lingering finish, leaving a dry, cigar like aftertaste.
Rich in fruit flavours, full bodied with a good structure, this wine delivers satisfaction for those who like their wines "thick and strong." At 14 years of age, the sediments are evident and present. Do decant for a couple of hours to open up and to remove the sediments.
The classic description for this beauty is "an iron fist in a velvet glove.." How apt and true indeed.
January 27, 2018 - Since July 2016, 2 years ago, the nose has opened more, less oak and more fragrant bouquet of ripe plums and mulberries, BBQ meat, cocoa with black peppers and dry thyme. Palate is rich but elegant at the same time, good depth and complex mid-palate that echoed the nose. A harmonious structure. Finish lingers on and on with a touch of lifted herbaceous notes at the end. At its peak now, should drink well for another 3 to 5 years. Still not as voluptuous and intense as the 2005.
Retasted in Apr 2020. Since the first tasting 4 years ago, this rich and powerful Merlot has reached its peak and holding on. No more cedary oak nose and definitely an aged wine from the new world. Still need some time in the decanter for the elements to open up. The rest of the palate is largely similar to the tasting in 2018, except it is now more mineral and floral. The deep and lingering smooth finish is still there to round up the presentation. Still can keep for 2-3 years if stored in good cellar conditions. No change in score.
Retasted in Feb 2022. Very open nose the moment you pull the cork, full of secondary and tertiary notes with underlining stewed plums, potpourri of dried flowers, crushed river stones and roasted cocoa seeds. Palate is still full, rich, powerful and deep. The more you draw air and chew on the wine, the more subtle nuances are surfaced to surprise you. The intensity seemed to have increased compared to the last tasting. The sweet fruits, fresh acidity and minerality still defined the flavours in the mid-palate, transiting nicely to a lingering and complex finish, perhaps not as smooth and refined as the 2005 vintage. This still got a lot of life. To appreciate this Merlot, do taste it from a proper Bordeaux glass. Keeping this for another 3 years to enjoy its peak should not be a problem if it is stored in good cellar conditions. Increase the score by 1 pt to 97.
March 11, 2017 - Opened it at my Son's Birthday Party at Cookyn Inc
Brilliant wine. opened up after an hour of decant.
As StayHappy21 had described 'an iron fist in a velvet glove.'
August 2, 2016 - Lovely oaky bouquet. Initially no fruit on the palate but as it breathed longer, there was a burst of flavours (albeit a little sweet) on the palate with cherry and sour plum and gradually finishing off with a hint of graphite.
July 25, 2016 - Fragrant sandalwood and tobacco black fruit bouquet. Very St.Emilion personality. Not that plummy at all compared to the 1999,2002 and 2005. Palate follows the nose, complex sandalwood and tobacco with fruitcake and sweet cherries. Rich, super intense and rounded mid-palate and finish. Good fitness and very well balance. Smoky olives in the finish which is smooth and lingering. Lots of fragrant oak, Need about 5 hrs to open it up and bring the fruit forward with a nice savory character. Completely different style, could not have guessed it is from the same winery.