2017 Hickinbotham Clarendon Vineyard 'The Revivalist' Merlot

96 Points: A dense crimson verging on opaque. Merlot's postcode waft of leaf and plum is present from the first whiff. The tannins are more gentle than cabernet, sure, but far from shy, expanding with time in the glass and stamped by 21 days on skins, daily pumpovers and three rack and returns. The oak, synergistic with a regime that sacrifices nothing when it comes to attention to detail, is sourced from Bordeaux coopers of the highest tier (25% new; 15 months). As good as any merlot on these shores.