Halliday Wine Companion – Serengale Vineyard Merlot 2018

Reviewed by Jeni Port, published 20 April 2024

Score: 89/100 (Bronze)

Hand picked, fermented in open fermenters, basket pressed, matured in old French oak. The makers say they fermented their merlot until it smelt like Christmas pudding. How apt. The mental picture insinuates itself into a tasting of the 5-year-old wine with its heady fruitcake, mulberry, heady spice aromas and confection notes. It offers a warm, luxuriant taste rich in plum, black cherry and chocolate panforte wrapped in supple tannins.