Sterling Wine Auctions Australia

Still not fully mature, but very impressive, is the super-concentrated 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. Classic notes of creme de cassis, tobacco leaf, licorice, and earth are followed by a full-bodied wine stuffed with rich fruit, glycerin, and sweet, velvety tannins. Approachable now, and beginning to develop some secondary nuances, it is capable of lasting another 10-15 years.

All of these wines were made by one of the wine bloggers’ favorite whipping boys, Sarah and Sparky Marquis, who have since moved on to their own projects. I rated these Australian reds highly when they were first released, and lo and behold, they are still spectacular wines that are aging beautifully. They admirably demonstrate that the Marquis team knows a great deal about what they are doing.

The 1997 Merlot, (3-year old vines and yields of only 1.6 tons of fruit per acre) did not receive an outstanding score simply because it was not complex. I suspect more complexity will emerge as the vineyard matures. The wine exhibits a saturated ruby/purple color, as well as copious quantities of toasty new oak in the nose, and mocha-infused, jammy cherry-like fruit. It is medium to full-bodied, rich, and monolithic, but impressively balanced and pure, with mouth-staining levels of extract. Low acidity and an up-front, flamboyant style suggest it can be drunk now and over the next 10-12 years. Merlot fanatics may rate it even higher than I did.