Stefano Lubiana Merlot 2010

When I think of Merlot in Australia, my mind goes straight to blending partner.  The variety has an inherent softness about it with nice plumpy mid-palate richness which fills the holes in so many other varieties.  The average tonnage per acre is around 6 which might be considered high.  To produce top quality Merlot I think cropping it a bit lower would be better as the variety can be a little too dilute and uninspiring. The history of the variety originates in Bordeaux in a small region on the right bank called Pomerol. Here the vines are grown on dark clay soils where the grapes ripen perfectly.  A lot of the time they are still blended with a little Cabernet Franc to increase the aromatics of the wine.  Here in Australia Merlot is planted every where! Does it grow well every where? No! Does the variety like the cold? A little but not too much.  Well does the variety like the heat? No not really. In terms of finding the right regions to grow Merlot, I think we are still finding our feet. 

Stefano Lubiana Merlot 2010

When I first started tasting this I thought this wine was a straight Merlot so I will break up my notes into each days recordings.

Day 1: This tastes more like a straight Cabernet than a Merlot! There is a green herbal element mixed with dry twigs and green tea.  It is a little difficult to sip this as the greenness is too much for me at this stage. What I love is the tannin structure. Oh so ripe and chalky. The structure reminds me of a Cabernet as well so I check the media release that accompanied this wine and I find out that this has a little Cabernet in it. OK so I feel better now but the green twiggy nature is too much. Rated: 84

Day 2: The green tea character has gone and now a cedar note along with blackcurrant leaf has entered the mix. What sparks my interest is a slight sweetness that has developed in the mid-palate.  It is not enough to negate the herbaceous attribute but it says come back later for a surprise.  The structure is still there so I am intrigued about what could happen tomorrow.  Rated: 85

Day 3: Now we are starting to get our rocks on.  The mid-palate has filled out with a flavour of glossy plum taking the centre stage. The tannins are the same as the first two days and the wine finishes with a charming burst of acidity. Rated: 87

Day 4: Now the flavours are full on Merlot with no hint of greenness at all yet the structure is all Cabernet.  The best of both worlds I say.  Rated: 88

Day 5: Same as above.

Alcohol: 14.5%

Price: $35

Rated: 88

Drink:  I would leave this for 6 years before I opened the stash.