McGuigan Black Label Merlot 2023

McGuigan Black Label Merlot is an easy, everyday red built for weeknight dinners rather than special occasions. Sourced from vineyards across Riverland, Murray Darling and the Limestone Coast, it pours a deep, dark red and opens with red berry and raspberry jam aromas lifted by a touch of cinnamon and vanilla. The palate is soft and flavoursome, layering raspberry, cherry and plum over silky tannins, with gentle oak character adding caramel, vanilla and a whisper of cedar through to a sweet, warming finish. It is best enjoyed within a couple of years of purchase, alongside red meat, pork or roast chicken.

What the winery says:

Fruit is crushed and de-stemmed before fermenting at cool temperatures of 18 to 22 degrees for five to seven days, a slower process McGuigan uses to protect fruit character and varietal definition. Most of the wine then matures in stainless steel, with a portion moved into French and American oak to round out the palate. McGuigan Wines was founded on three generations of the McGuigan family's winemaking, and continues today under Neil McGuigan, whose team has picked up multiple International Wine and Spirit Competition and International Wine Challenge Winemaker of the Year titles.