2019 Leconfield Merlot

Full bright dark ruby red in colour. A ripe, fragrant nose showing cinnamon and cloves overlaying cherry fruit. This is a flavoursome Merlot with a full flavour of ripe plums and round, long tannins that provide persistence and length. It retains elegance and finesse. Pairs beautifully roasted pork, Peking duck, Nasi Goreng.

We are fortunate to have mature Merlot vines planted from 1982 to 1999, a significant proportion of which is dry grown. Supporting this fruit is a block of newer clones (R8 and Q45-14) which produce small berry size producing intense colour and a deeper flavour profile. Following fermentation, wines were allowed extended time on skins to gain earthy complexity and palate length. Following pressing and initial settling, the components were filled to French Oak for maturation with two rackings over 14 months to soften the tannin structure. We have avoided the use of animal products in fining to provide a vegan friendly wine. Final blending was in June 2020 with bottling in early July.
Background:
The Coonawarra vineyards of Leconfield are planted on Terra Rossa soils rich in the clay content that is ideal for growing premium Merlot. This is an estate grown wine sourced from vines planted from 1982 to 1999. Leconfield has developed a reputation of being amongst the best producers of Merlot in Australia. We are continually evolving our style to give length with finesse in this limited release wine. The vineyard was founded in 1974 by pioneering oenologist Sydney Hamilton who at 76 years of age had the dream to produce the classic Australian red wine. Time has validated his choice of Coonawarra as a fantastic place to do just that. Today the estate is planted predominantly to Cabernet Sauvignon with smaller patches of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Shiraz and complemented with the white varieties of Riesling and Chardonnay.
Vintage Conditions:
Coonawarra fared much better than most other South Australian regions in producing average cropping levels with very promising flavours in both red and white varieties. Good rainfall in winter, November and December set the vines up well to produce a high number of bunches with nature controlling cropping levels through windy conditions at flowering. The ripening season from January to the end of harvest in April was very dry with 31mm of rain recorded against an average of 114 mm. It was expected that the very warm conditions in late February and Early March would bring rapid ripening, however veraison had been delayed by a generally cooler early to mid-February. This cooler period produced some stunning flavours in Riesling and Chardonnay. Patience until the end of March with the commencement of the red harvest saw beautiful fruit density but with elegance. Fruit in pristine condition lent itself to extended time on skins for texture and complexity.