Until 1992, Elderton had used the small amounts of Merlot produced from the Estate as a blending tool with Cabernet. In 1992, the individual parcel of Merlot was exceptional and the decision was made to make a single varietal that encompassed the best that Merlot had to offer.
Our Nuriootpa vineyard, which is approximately 72 acres in size, has only one small block of Merlot, with two newer plantings from which we took the third crop this year. These vines are towards the back of the vineyard, on the highest point, where the soils are much sandier and free-draining than those closer to the river bed. We are excited to see the vibrancy coming from the new plantings coupled with the backbone from our almost 20-year-old plantings.
