Yalumba Y Series Merlot

One hundred and sixty years and five generations of family wine making – you don’t get to call yourself Australia’s oldest family owned winery unless you’re doing something seriously right. We’re talking about Yalumba, a member of the Australia’s First Families of Wine, the 12 founding family owned wineries across the ditch.

This is their famous “Y Series” range. And as we often say about this range, Y the hell wouldn’t ya. Year after year these wines offer incredible bang for your buck, and this 2022 release Merlot is on the money again.

Scoring 86/100 and a Top Value Award with The Real Review’s Aaron Brasher who said “Youthful, bright and full of jubey dark fruited aromas. Soft, fleshy, round and easy drinking.”

For their Yalumba Y Series Merlot they’ve used grapes from across the South Australia region. The result? A deliciously fruit-driven red, bursting with sweet, plum and berry fruit flavours and a silky, smooth finish.

The chook on the label represents the important role this feathered friend plays in the ecosystem of the vineyard. From “enriching” (that’s the nice way of putting it) the soil and keeping away unwanted bugs and weeds. It would also make a decent food match to a glass of this one – or other meats like lamb and pork go well with these styles of red too.