2022 Vergelegen Merlot Reserve
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
Full bottle 1,311 g. 100% Merlot from estate vineyards. This is exactly the bottle I would want to hand if I was teaching someone about Merlot: it’s varietally classic. Plums, dark chocolate, caraway leaf and shiso, a smudge of cassis in the shadows. Tannins tall and broad-shouldered but not thick-set; protective but not claustrophobic. Fruit rounded, ripe and sweet but well-structured and holds a fragrant finish. Acidity bold but sweet, like oranges. This would be good with Korean pork belly, samgyupsal style (tested out, and yes, it is). (TC)
Critic scores
Average Score
Tamlyn Currin, jancisrobinson.com
Neal Martin
More reviews and scores
The Vergelegen 2022 Stellenbosch Merlot Reserve strikes a good balance by offering ripe cherry fruit (but not too ripe) with background tones of crushed stone, cola and a hint of crushed mint. To me, this pretty South African red shows the sweet spice of a Tuscan Merlot without the chewy concentration of, say, a Merlot from California. It maintains a unique personality with a medium-plus texture for a wide range of food pairings. It is fermented in stainless steel with extended skin contact and aged in French barrel for 11 months, with 23% new oak. Production is 34,000 bottles.
The 2022 Merlot Reserve aged in 23% new French oak for 11 months, slightly shorter than previous vintages and with different cooperage—a bit more Boutes and Darnajou rather than Taransaud. This has quite a floral bouquet, with veins of blueberry tincturing the red fruit and a little cedar coming through. The palate is medium-bodied with more refinement and better integration of wood tannins than the previous vintage. It closes with peppery finish. This is a step in the right direction.