Picardy 2001 Merlimont PlonkOz04

This wine is the same as the Merlot Cabernet but it has spent an extra year in oak and shows a lot more chocolate characters with sweet blackberry as well. It is certainly a good wine, certainly more showy but not a subtle as it's less oaked sibling. Powdery tannins combined with deep strong fruit deliver intense blackberry, mint, chocolate, plum, a touch of spice, and finishes to dark coffee. Muscular-weight, the wine has a solid structure and harmonious complexity and shows a fair level of oak influence. I doubt it will improve and is rated as Excellent with *** for value.