Yaldara The Farms Merlot Cab 1992

Yaldara Wines is a family-owned estate in the Barossa Valley, founded in 1975 by Brian Croser and today run by the Croser family. From its original Nuriootpa vineyards to newer plantings, the winery combines careful site selection with minimal intervention winemaking to produce wines of both depth and finesse.

The Farms Merlot Cabernet 1992 is drawn from a single old-vine block on red-brown sandy loam near the township of Angaston. In that year, fruit was hand-harvested in early April, hand-sorted and fermented in small stainless-steel tanks with a gentle cap-punch regime to extract fine colour and tannin. After pressing, the wine matured for 18 months in seasoned French oak hogsheads, emphasising purity of fruit over overt oak influence.

In the glass, the 1992 The Farms Merlot Cabernet shows a deep garnet core fading to tawny at the rim. The bouquet is mature and savoury, with aromas of dried plum, cedar and undergrowth. On the palate, it is medium-bodied and elegantly resolved, revealing flavours of redcurrant, tobacco leaf and dark chocolate, supported by soft, integrated tannins and bright acidity. The finish is long and earthy, with a lingering note of leather. This refined vintage is drinking beautifully now alongside roast lamb, beef pot roast or mature hard cheeses.