Geoff Merrill Pimpala Vineyard Shiraz 2015
- Rich, full-bodied
- McLaren Vale
Not to be confused with Geoff Merrill’s ‘Pimpala Road’ range, these Pimpala Vineyard wines are careful barrel selections from his reserve range. This has spent no less than 29 months in French and American oak Hogsheads, and a couple of years in the cellar to let all its powerful fruit and decadent oak flavour all meld together. This vintage is a dark, brooding red with incredible depth of flavour that matches the colour. A heady perfume of blackberries, black olives, toasted chocolate biscuits (if that wasn’t a thing, it is now!), earth, exotic spices and seared steak float up out of the glass with each swirl. The palate is as the nose promises – rich and complex. There are firm tannins to guide you and surprisingly powerful acidity to drive the finish home and lift that deep savoury complexity to new heights. This will last for many years in your cellar yet, but we can attest it’s drinking bloody well now, too.
Profile
Reviews
Sam Kim
“Superbly fruited and richly expressed, the gorgeous bouquet shows black/blueberry, toasted spice, cedar and dark chocolate characters, leading to a concentrated palate that offers excellent weight and density. It is fleshy and silky, backed by polished tannins, finishing impressively long and delicious. At its best: now to 2027.”
It’s cool, we get it, you want to know absolutely everything about this wine. Well here you go, go nuts.
Specs
- Region
- McLaren Vale
- Vintage
- 2015
- Cellaring
- 2027
- Preservatives
- Sulphites
- Alcohol by Vol.
- 14.5%
- Closure
- Screwcap
- Bottle Vol
- 750mL
- Blend Info
- 100% Shiraz
- Serving Temp.
- 17.0°C
Producer
Geoff Merrill Wines
We say Merrill, you say legendary. A permanent fixture in the Aussie wine industry, Geoff Merrill has been in the game for over 40 years now and shows no sign of slowing down. Celebrated for his distinctively bold wines which reflect his zest for life and of course, having one of the greatest moustaches of all time – Merrill’s winemaking philosophy is focused on patience, elegance and unveiling the true varietal expression of wine. And in the history of the 'Fo, we must admit, Merrill has never made a bad wine. We put our mo on that.
Region
McLaren Vale
McLaren Vale is a region that lives in the shadow of the hype of the Barossa. While it has played on Shiraz as its drawcard, and continues to battle (quite rightly) with the supreme power of the Barossa, perhaps the most exciting wines from this region are its old vine Grenache and Mataro (Mourvedre/Monastrell - whatever you want to call it), and its more recent foray into Spanish and Italian varietals. Both the sun's warmth and the reliable salty afternoon gully breeze make the climate closer to Mediterranean than many other Aussie regions, and some of the Fiano, Vermentino, Tempranillo and Sangiovese from here are sublime (to name only a few). Awareness, proper consideration and sense of place are key attributes to the region's success, and its recent win against urbanisation reinforces the value of the viticultural region.
The rules are there ain’t no rules, but here are some foods we think will work pretty well with this wine...
Goes with
Fillet of venison with red wine and wild mushrooms
Ingredients
- 600ml red wine (such as shiraz)
- 1/3 cup (80ml) Madeira or dry sherry
- 1/3 cup (80ml) balsamic vinegar
- 6 eschalots, sliced
- 1 fresh bay leaf*
- 1 thyme sprig
- 2 cups (500ml) cranberry jus or good-quality beef stock**
- 10g dried chanterelle or porcini mushrooms***
- 1kg venison fillet****
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 30g unsalted butter
- 1 tbs plain flour
- Redcurrant jelly, to serve
Directions
- To make the sauce, combine the red wine, Madeira, balsamic vinegar, eschalots, bay leaf and thyme in a bowl and set aside for 2-3 hours. Place in a saucepan with jus or stock and bring to the boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until reduced by three-quarters (this will take about 20 minutes). Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C.
- Place the dried mushrooms in a small bowl, pour over a little boiling water and set aside to soak for 10 minutes.
- If the venison fillet is long, cut it in half. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Heat the oil in a large frypan over high heat and sear the venison on all sides. Transfer to a baking tray and roast for 10-12 minutes for medium-rare. Remove from oven, cover loosely with foil and set aside to rest for 10 minutes.
- Drain mushrooms, reserving the liquid. Heat the butter in a frypan over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes. Add flour to the pan and cook, stirring, for a further minute. Add red-wine sauce and reserved mushroom liquid, and simmer for 5-6 minutes until well-reduced. Season to taste.
- Slice the venison and serve with sauce and redcurrant jelly, accompanied by the salad and tartiflette.