Leconfield Coonawarra Merlot 2019
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Region
Coonawarra, SA
Variety
Merlot – the ducks nuts or just plain old bollocks?
Winery
Leconfield
This is my favourite Italian Meatball Recipe (my only one actually) that has evolved from my school days growing up amongst Italians in the northern suburbs of Adelaide.
Tapas and Temp go together like love and marriage, Helen Mirren and Oscar nominations, Shane Watson and LBW's.
Quite unlike like Miles Raymond in the awesome film ‘Sideways’ … if anyone orders Merlot, I’m staying. I am very happy to drink f%^&ing Merlot!
Merlot doesn’t get much love here in Australia – variously accused of being thin and reedy (region too cold) or soft and fat (region too warm) but rarely awesome, refined, structured or fruit intense. Much of the blame for Aussie Merlot being ‘crap’ has been ascribed to our clonal selections of Merlot – the most widely planted being D3V14, sourced from UC Davis in California in the mid 60s. It can make superb wine but it needs to be planted in the right sites and requires a lot of work in the vineyard to produce quality fruit. Historically most Aussie producers simply haven’t treated Merlot with that level of care. ‘Proper’ varieties, like Pinot, Shiraz, Cabernet etc have more time and money spent on them in the vineyard and winery because they yield a better return
If there is one combination to look for when browsing for a good medium-bodied red, Coonawarra, terra rosa and Cabernet Sauvignon is always a winner. Far down the line from Adelaide (about 390km southeast, a grape's throw from the border of Victoria), the name is Aboriginal for "honeysuckle", yet reds from the region are more known for flavours of plum and blackcurrant.
The Coonawarra vineyard region is sparse, running along a thin 2km-wide ridge elevating it above surrounding swamp. World-renowned, this 15km stretch of red soil is so unique, it's worth looking it up on google maps and switching to satellite view to see how it is farmed. See that strip of green north of Penola? That's it, and notice the big spread of nothing around it? The Coonawarra is a very special place. Laying on an old ridge of limestone, the fields have superb drainage, allowing the vines to flourish without the dampness at night that can ruin a good crop. Very similar in climate to the Bordeaux region in
Region: Coonawarra
Proprieter: Dr Richard Hamilton
Established: 1974
Address:
Riddoch Highway
Coonawarra
South Australia, 5263
The Leconfield vineyard was first planted in 1974 with the winery built in 1975 by 76 year old Sydney Hamilton who the dream of making a classic Australian red wine. He selected Coonawarra to make these fine red wines and created legends with his early vintages including the 1978 and 1980 Cabernets.
The winery was purchased by his nephew, Dr. Richard Hamilton in 1981 who also owned other vineyards and wineries in the McLaren region.
Since its inception, Leconfield has gained an enviable reputation for its dedication and commitment to producing wines that are a unique, cellarable style of the highest quality.
