PROTEA MERLOT 2023

Tendrils of spice add nuance and allure to a nose packed with black berries, hedgerow fruit and some mocha notes. The palate is plush, rounded and pillowy but layered with dark fruitcake flavour, black cherry, baking spice and pencil shavings too. The mouthfeel is complemented by its overall stature and regal refinement. Balanced with seamless integration of oak and ripe, rich fruit with lovely succulence and freshness as well. Complex, supple and silky smooth, the wine is ultimately simply delicious with a superbly long tail.

A gentle florality adds to the more prominent stonefruit and light touch of honey on the nose. The mouth delivers a veritable fruit salad: flavours of melon, nectarine, quince and apricot intermingle seamlessly. Delightful succulence and freshness from appropriate acidity but there is a broad, creamy lees undertone that adds texture and breadth to the tasty mouthful. Good composure and structure only add to the enjoyment, as does a delicate citrus pith nuance which is apparent on the long, lingering aftertaste.

Cracked black pepper and herb aromas mingle with dark berry fruit compote on the nose. The palate is savoury with a succulence that is both refreshing and moreish. The silky mouthfeel is complemented by the ripe, dark fruit – blackberry and plum – along with a more savoury nuance of olive tapenade, spice and even a charcuterie/meatiness reminiscent of the Northern Rhône. Structured, firm body with integrated tannin demonstrating that the oak is in harmony with the fruit. It’s showing the impact of the prolonged drought in its tautness but will reward patience.

Inviting melange of plush and plump black and red berry fruits, blueberries, spice and chocolate on the nose. Those same fruits and flavours glide seamlessly from the nose onto the palate. There’s a subtle note of fennel or anise but with rich black cherry and plum notes adding succulence. Reigning in this abundance is a frame of oak and tannin which provides a gentle, muscular squeeze. Textured, rich and rounded but elegantly robust, there’s a beautiful complexity and breadth to this wine. The cocoa powder nuance is present in the long, tapered finish. One made for cellaring but also for immediate enjoyment.