2022 Pfeiffer Carlyle Cabernet Merlot

$20.00

Pfeiffer Carlyle wines are hand-selected parcels of premium regional fruit, skillfully blended to create distinctive wines for your enjoyment.

Availability

New Vintage Release

Vintage

2022

Seal

A screw cap has been used on our 2022 Cabernet Merlot to maximise its flavour and freshness, and to eliminate the chances of cork taint.

Cellar

A lovely wine to enjoy now and until 2029

Vegan Friendly

YES

Yeast

FX10 – A yeast which enhances colour and heightens the fruit character of the grapes, and builds mouthfeel in the wine.

XR – A yeast strain that enhances varietal characters of full bodied red wines.

Lalvin Clos – a strong fermenter, chosen for its high alcohol tolerance and its ability to enhance mouthfeel, structure and complexity.

Allergens

Contains Sulphites

Technical Details

Res. Sugar 1.04 g/L
pH 3.61
TA 6.29 g/L
Alcohol 14.4 % v/v

89/100 Halliday Wine Companion 2025
“With 87/13% cabernet sauvignon/merlot, the merlot plays a bigger role this vintage than previously, bringing with it, extra aromatic lift and smooth, immediate drinking appeal. Super-ripe fruit provides plenty of upfront aromas and flavour in blackberry, black cherry, anise, violets, spices and background herbals. No shortage of flavour for the price”. – Jeni Port August 2025

92/100 Real Review 2024
Inky and youthful in appearance. Lifted aromas of iodine, bramble, cassis and menthol. Generously flavoured: there’s a lovely drive of blackberry, graphite, mulberry and spice. The tannins are firm and structured and the acidity gives plenty of snap. Great valueAaron Brasher, February 2024

SILVER – Riverina Wine Show 2024

BRONZE – Cowra Wine Show 2024

BRONZE – Rutherglen Wine Show 2024

BRONZE – Victorian Wine Show 2023

Fruit Sourcing

Victoria (King Valley, Rutherglen, Great Western, Heathcote)

Harvest Date

4th April 2022; 13th April 2022; 14th April 2022; 27th April 2022.

Grapes

Cabernet Sauvignon 87%  Merlot 13%

The 2022 growing season provided plenty of viticultural challenges, with above average rainfall figures experienced throughout the Spring and summer.  Flowering was very disjointed, with cold, windy and wet weather experienced throughout the very long three week flowering period, which created uneven fruit development, disease pressure, and which ultimately led to lower yields and some uneven ripening.

Summer was mild and will be remembered for two major rainfall events in January – of 70mm and 121mm here at the winery – leaving Rutherglen with its wettest January in recorded history.

These two rainfall events put a high level of disease pressure across all varieties, leading us to fruit thin and leaf pluck most of our blocks to improve air-flow and reduce the risk of moulds developing.

February and March were dotted with a couple of rain events, leaving certain varieties close to harvest susceptible to fruit breakdown.   The timing of picking was critical to the overall wine quality.

Overall, the season was around 3 weeks later than usual, with the vintage starting on 23rd February with Alpine Valleys Pinot Grigio.  The majority of the fruit was harvested in the second half of March and April, with the last fruit harvested on 27th April, again picking before the next rain event.

Quality is high in our white varieties, showing great flavour and plenty of natural acidity, ensuring good longevity in the bottle.  The red varieties are reflective of the cooler season, showing more elegance of style, with some highlights across Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in particular.

Our viticultural efforts with our fortified varieties paid off, and despite such a challenging year in the vineyard, we have excellent quality in our Muscats, Topaque and port style wines, with our Portuguese varieties shining through with delicious flavours.

A blend of four different parcels of fruit, all picked at separate times and thus handled separately in the winery.  A cold soak for up to 4 days was given to each parcel.  Fermentation either occurred in static fermenters with manual pump overs twice daily.  Each ferment was run at temperatures between 20 and 26°C.

A parcel of Great Western Cabernet Sauvignon was pressed at 2ºbe to finish ferment in brand new French oak hogsheads; while the other three parcels finished ferment on skins, with extended maceration on skins for 5-8 days.

Our Pfeiffer Carlyle Cabernet Merlot 2022 was blended into two parcels prior to oak maturation – a rich, ripe and full parcel and a perfumed and elegant parcel.   Both parcels were then matured in a mixture of both French and American oak puncheons, hogsheads and barriques, all of various ages, for approximately 12 months.  The wine was blended from oak and clarified prior to bottling in September 2023.

Pork and fennel sausages, creamy mashed potatoes and sauteed silverbeet

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