Appearance: burgundy with a hint of aged character

Nose: Earthy, ceader/ spice with hints of plum and sweet jam

pallate: Cassis, white plum and Mixed spice. Mouth feel is full with fine tannins and a long finish

Well it's Friday night and I realised that I have not posted to the blog for some time now, so as dinner cooked I headed to the cellar for bottle to join us for dinner.

I have often enjoyed the Marsh Estate wines and the Vat N is no exception, like all of Marsh Estates wines the vines of the Cabernet vineyard are un irrigated, this produces fruit of a more intense flavour which is demonstrated in this wine.

the vat n presented as a deep burgundy in the glass with only a hint of its age showing, on the nose I found a complex range of ceader shavings, plum and sweet earthy character. The pallate presented a mix of cassis and white plum flavours with a fine tannin structure and long lingering finish. A cellering of some years is suggested and based on my experience if you have the will power then you will be rewarded.

Appearance: Dark Maroon

Nose: Berry fruits

Palate: Berry fruits and spice, smooth tannins

Merlot is not generally know for its longevity in the bottle, and if my cellar has a fault its that I don't rotate the wines through it often enough.

This wine is a prime example of why it is some times best to enjoy wines now and not hold them over to another day. The wine was still clean and bright from the bottle with a strong nose of berry fruits and a good palate combining the berry flavours (Mulberry and Black berry) with a spiciness (reminiscent of cinnamon, and nutmeg) with a velvety tannin, but a lack of palate length and body to the wine indicated that it may have been held past its prime

This wine was enjoyed with a Pasta Ragu.

An excellent wine, that was starting to show its age. Structure was still well balanced showing a vibrancy of its youth but also the effects of age.

(This wine was purchased by the reviewer and the opinions here are my own)

Tasting notes - Marsh Estate 2013 Vat N Cabernet Sauvignon

Tasting Notes - Marsh Estate Merlot 2003