I am not overly fond of straight merlot wines (Château Pétrus is a little outside my price range) as they tend towards being lolly water. One real exception to this is the Eden Valley 2009 Irvine Spinghill Merlot. This is simply a great wine – soft, smooth and full of flavour. It is easy to pair up with food and best of all it is a total bargain at under $17 a bottle. For the price I don’t think I have had a better wine all year. This is certainly a wine you can afford to stock up on.
Price $16.90
Value >$25.00
Update Jan 2014. I have recently tried the 2012 vintage and it is great too – I would say even better than the 2009. Still the same great low price.