Shottesbrooke Vineyards

Shottesbrooke Estate Series Merlot 2018

Award
Winner Top 100 Medium Bodied Dry Red Wines
Grape Varieties
Merlot (100%) McLaren Vale, SA, Australia
Country of Origin
Australia
Alcohol Content
14.5% Alcohol by Volume
Wine Type and Oak Treatment
Still Red with Oak Treatment
Recommended Retail Price
RRP AU $19.99
Buy This WineBuy This Wine

“Opens with a fragrant bouquet of sun-warmed blackberry. Juicy and fruit-pure showing attractive vibrancy and freshness supported by drying chalky tannins. When paired with the duck the wine appeared drier and less vibrant.”

“Gorgeous sour cherry aromas. The palate is quite and cool with good fruit integrity. The wine did go well with the food, though I would like to see the wine aged for a few years first.”

“A tightly wound wine that is keep its cards close to its chest. Not sure this wine will offer the generosity on the palate that is often desired, even with age. Plummy with a touch of herbaceousness and structured tannins. A meat and potatoes kind of wine that I would suggest to rest in your cellar for at least 8 years before approaching again.”

“Bright floral nose with lovely blueberry and cinnamon notes on the palate. Balanced acidity and tannin makem this wine beautifuuly tightly wound. Works well with this wine as the wine takes on a richer riper flavour.”

“Medium red, mushroom, red fruits, leaf, currant, slightly green and herbal, medium bodied, slightly stalky tannins.”

“Forward black fruit style, nice fruit and oak integration, lovely palate weight, pretty and harmonious on the palate. Nice tannin structure.”

The Medium Bodied Dry Red Wines were judged with

Duck breast, Parsnip Puree and Radicchio

Presented by chef Marcell Kustos

Ingredients

  • 1 Duck breast/person, sous-vide at 57C
  • 1 Tbsp oyster sauce
  • 1 Tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 bag English breakfast tea
Parsnip puree, serves 4:
  • 500 g parsnip, roasted at 180C for 15 min and cooked in 300 mL soy milk (reserve 200 mL cooking soy milk)
  • 50 g peanut butter
  • Salt
  • ½ tsp garam masala
Radicchio, serves 4:
  • 1 radicchio, quartered, white (bitter) part removed, thinly sliced
  • 300 mL pomegranate juice + sous-vide duck broth, reduced to half
  • Add 1 Tbsp oyster sauce, ½ tsp Xanthan gum and mix with stick mixer
  • Cook radicchio in reduced pomegranate syrup until the radicchio is wilted
Served with chive oil:
  • 1 bunch of chive, thinly cut
  • 50 ml olive oil, warm in microwave 10 s

Method

  1. Score duck breast and render fat in a pan with skin-side down on low fire. Bag up the breast with maple syrup, oyster sauce and tea and sous-vide.
  2. Cut the parsnip into 2-3cm pieces and roast until golden brown. Transfer the parsnips into a pot and cook them soy in soy milk. In a food processor, mix all ingredients for the puree. The result should be creamy, slightly nutty, slightly spicy and slightly salty.
  3. Reduce the pomegranate juice with the cooking juices of the duck. Add xanthan and oyster sauce and blend it smooth (velvety) with a stick mixer. The result should be liquid, but thick enough to cover the back of a spoon. Add sliced radicchio and warm them until cooked/wilted.