Parish Lane Merlot 2010 (Great Southern, WA)
14%, Screwcap, $18 (for 2007 vintage)
Source: Sample
www.parishlanewines.com

Parish Lane has a good looking website, but the latest release of this Merlot listed is a 2007, an all too common situation for wineries (and not just locally either). Frustrating…

Anyways, this is a varietal Merlot (if nothing else), the nose and palate showing leafy, plum and kalamata olive Merlot characters (which is quite positive). Pity there is a distinctively unripe edge to the tannins, the light finish and taut acidity suggesting that the fruit didn’t quite get there (and the high alcohol/unripe flavours indicating either an unsuitable site or unsuitable viticulture).

Passable, perhaps, but not quite convincing enough in its fruit penetration to be anything more than an ‘also’ wine.

Drink: 2013-2016
Score: 15.5/20 85/100
Would I buy it? No.