Mount Majura Merlot 2005 Wednesday, Apr 23 2008
Tasting Notes and Australia and Canberra and Variety and Red and merlot et al
Mount Majura is a small vineyard and winery close to Canberra, in the ACT. The vineyard is situated on the eastern slopes of Mount Majura and is characterised by red volcanic soils also containing some limestone. They produce a swag of different varietals.
A rampant nose, showing an intensity blackcurrants that dominate everything, though on the second night there was also some tar and a vague woodiness. The palate showed ripe black fruits, a bit of dirt and soft comforting tannins, but seemed a bit hollow to me, which is odd because I thought Merlot was supposed to fill out the mid-palate. Length is moderate, and there is just a bit of char on the finish. This wine was actually consumed next to a Vietti Dolcetto d’Alba, which is a very different style of wine, and as you would expect both wines had their admirers, for different reasons.
Rated : 86 Points
Tasted : Apr08
Alcohol : 13.5%
Price : $17
Closure : Screwcap
Drink : 2008 - 2010
Source : Festival Cellars
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April 23rd, 2008 at 2:55 pm| Quote |
These guys have a pretty special site so I have no doubt they will go on to do great things, but the grape mix is still coming together. They do a Bordeaux blend also which was quite uninspiring, but for Shiraz & Tempranillo I think they are on the right path, as well as the more aromatic whites (Riesling, Pinot Gris etc)
April 23rd, 2008 at 5:08 pm| Quote |
Their ‘05 & ‘06 Shiraz have been cutting an exciting new direction in regional Shiraz; blindingly good value as well.
May 6th, 2008 at 4:52 pm| Quote |
Just realised this is the first Mount Majura wine on Winorama. Gary, I think you would enjoy their shiraz. I had another bottle of the excellent 2005 shiraz last night (2006 is the current release) and it is showing very well.
May 6th, 2008 at 6:19 pm| Quote |
I should probably touch them up..but I’m feeling too much love at the moment to cope. Perhaps Lincoln could warm up his hands..
GW
May 16th, 2008 at 1:01 am| Quote |
I tried a Mount Majura rose not long ago and it was actually one of my wine highlights of the year. To be fair part of that was the company and the unexpected surprise of how enjoyable the wine was. I should say I am not much of a rose fan, and I had tried the Mount Majura pinot which was alright but I’ve been a bit spoiled by Yarra Valley and Tasmanian pinot.
I really enjoyed the rose and I was told from a visitor to the winery that to make the rose they use a few reds and have focused a lot on building structure and backbone.
Anyways to cut a long ramble short(ish), the rose is a much better wine than I thought it would be, I’m told it is quite cheap and when I was in Canberra recently I couldn’t find any at any of the bottle shops so keep it in mind if you see it.