TN: 1993 James Irvine Grand Merlot

[n4sir]

1993 James Irvine Grand Merlot, Eden Valley (cork): The cork was fairly well soaked but pretty intact overall; there’s more crusting than the 1999 recently, but it’s not much and relatively fine. Medium red/brick. Aromatic bouquet with fresh/buttery herbs, cedar/coffee, tangy raspberries, camphor, tomato dust and green liquorice/green peas, becoming slightly more vegetal with breathing. Tangy/sweet entry followed by rather tart raspberries and caramel/coffee, sweet & sour and medium-weight with very fine, powdery tannins, finishing very long but very slender. It reminds me more than a little of a cooler Coonawarra, an old-school Leconfield kinda way - I like the way it’s drinking now, but haters of DMS characters should steer clear.

Cheers,
Ian

[Muscat Mike]

[b] haters of DMS characters should steer clear.

Cheers,
Ian

Ian, DMS would that be Dusky Male Sweat?

Mike.

[Jay60A]

DMS = di-methyl sulphide from memory.

Some DMS influenced wines can be very good from memory - Henschke Cyril 1993 and Yalumba FDR 1A(?) 2000. Generally considered a winemaking flaw though ...

[redstuff]

I love trace amounts of dimethyl sulfide. Because DMS is very volatile (b.p. 37 C), swirling your glass will get rid of it quite easily. I think all of the Grand merlots i have tried 96,98,99 were full of it. Great wine though. Thanks for the tasting note Ian.