Hickinbotham Merlot The Revivalist 2013

Gentle, moody, and enticing... The Revivalist flickers from its polished sheen of soft prunes and dark berries to its peppery dust and black tea-leaf edge. Between those appetising extremes you’ll find licorice, dark chocolate, and aniseed with a tinge of the soft flesh of enoki mushrooms. It’s an agile and elegant wine, finishing with dusty velvet tannins that provoke the palate - vivifying the category of Australian Merlot.

Elusive and ethereal, The Revivalist takes its time to peel back its layers to reveal the refined complexity its finesse belies. Comforting earthy tones of moss and mushroom introduce this elegant luxury, and deeper examination sees its ripe figgy fruit oozing like a liqueur from a fine milk chocolate. All that mellow delight lies on a savory racing frame of olivine tannins, lithe natural acidity and cedary oak.