Cookoothama Cabernet Merlot 2023

Cookoothama Cabernet Merlot is a plush, full-bodied Riverina red built around blackcurrant, plum and ripe berry fruit, with allspice, herbs and dark chocolate adding savoury depth. Cabernet brings shape and cassis, while Merlot rounds the edges with smooth, silky tannins. The Cookoothama name means fertile land, a nod to the Murrumbidgee River country that supplies the fruit. Rich without becoming cumbersome, it is a smart match for lamb, beef casseroles or a warmly spiced curry, and an easy choice when the table calls for a generous Australian red.

What the winery says:

The Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot were sourced from selected vineyards in the Riverina region of New South Wales. Harvested during the cool of the night, the fruit was destemmed, chilled and cold macerated for 48 hours before fermentation with traditional pump-overs. The wine was matured in a combination of new, one-year-old and two-year-old French and American oak. Deep crimson with a youthful purple hue, it offers ripe berries, allspice, herbs and dark chocolate, followed by concentrated blackcurrant and plum, silky tannins and well-integrated oak. It is vegan friendly and bottled at 14% alcohol.