Sixty-Second Swirl by Brent Lello, Yass Valley Times wine columnist
The name “Merriman” would be familiar to many residents in the Yass Valley region – it’s synonymous with the production of world-class Merino wool from the area around Murrumbateman, back as early as the mid to late 1800’s. It’s no wonder then that one of the leading light wine producers in our region – Shaw Wines – has adopted the “Merriman” moniker for their “best of the best” wines. Shaw’s Merriman wines are only produced when the finest quality fruit from the best vintages is available and are also now synonymous with world-class quality, just with wines rather than wool.
Winemaker Graeme Shaw
One of the best Cabernets doing the rounds in the region in the topic of this week’s “swirl” – is the Shaw Wines Reserve Merriman Cabernet Sauvignon 2018.
The colour of this world-class Cabernet is a seductive, deep magenta in the glass with flashes of purple at the edges. A swirl invites aromas of ripe blackcurrants and macerated blueberries with a hint of shaved dark chocolate and a shake of classic cool climate-induced spices.
The palate is rich and velvety with ripe blue and black fruit flavours and silky-smooth tannins, building out to a voluptuous line and lengthy finish. This is superb drinking now but will be a quality drop well into the years ahead.
We enjoyed our bottle with a dry-aged eye fillet of beef, topped with duck liver pate and drizzled with green peppercorn sauce – Whooshka!
But this would also be a classic combination with slow braised beef cheeks in a rich tomato-based gravy. I got mine from the wonderfully engaging and informative team at the Shaw Wines cellar door, but you can also buy it for $65 online.
Save the date! Shaw Wines are excited to announce that they are participating in the inaugural Canberra Wine District’s Stomp Festival, on 29 and 30 April. 25+ wineries and businesses | 2 fun-filled days | 1 ticket Stay tuned, tickets on sale soon.
