The Boutique Wine Lover's Wine Review from the Best Australian Online Wine Store for Retail Boutique Wine Shopping

Wineries all over the world are blending Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot (and sometimes a little Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot) to create a more complex wine. These Cabernet/Merlot blends are frequently the producer's finest bottlings.

2004 Virgin Block Cabernet Merlot is a dry red wine - 65% Cabernet Sauvignon 20% Merlot and 15% other. Spent 18 months in French oak barrels before being bottled. Can be cellared for up to 10 years. Cabernet Merlot 2004 - Bright deep ruby red colour. Fresh attractive aromas of cassis, plum, mulberries and toasty oak. Excellent intensity of fruit with firm acidity and a fine round mouthfeel. Well structured, gentle tannins are complemented by expansive and persistent flavours on the finish. Virgin Block Wines is a stunning family owned vineyard located within a hidden valley committed to offering wines of quality & integrity.

Abbey Rock Coonawarra Cabernet Merlot (2004) - the bright crimson colour is supported with a complex aroma of blackberry, cherry and mulberry with the promise of chocolate and mint as well as developed cedar, earth and spicy overtones. The palate has supple mouth feel, with elegance and great length while delivering a balance between the intense Cabernet, the softer Merlot fine tannins and the integrated oak. Abbey Rock was established in 2001 with Les, viticulturalist Ted Apted and wine marketer Michael Parkinson. They produce elegant wines from low-yielding, high quality vineyards. Grapes are sourced from the Helmsford vineyard in the Clare Valley, the Old Schoolhouse vineyard in Coonawarra and the Hahndorf Rise vineyard in the Adelaide Hills. Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes are grown at Coonawarra and their Semillon, Grenache and Shiraz grapes are grown from the Clare. Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir are from the Adelaide Hills. These premium grape growing regions have long defined the unique character of some of Australia's exceptional wines. All of their wines are produced from grapes from individual vineyards that represent the very best of these regions. The result is the benefit of many years of local viticultural experience and a driving passion to create some of Australia's most outstanding wines.

Barking Owl Cabernet Merlot Malbec (2004) - Deep ruby red in colour with intense varietal blackcurrant and black fruit aromas overlying spicy, vanillin oak. The soft, ripe tannins are well supported by rich blackcurrant and redcurrant fruit. A medium to full-bodied wine with very good balance, structure and integration of oak. The finish is dry and long. Millbrook Winery, located in the Perth Hills wine region of Western Australia, is only 50 minutes southeast of Perth. The winery is nestled among virgin jarrah country with stunning views of the rolling landscape. The two brands available are Barking Owl & Millbrook.