In Bond Fine Wine. NV Campbells Muscat Merchant Prince, Victoria, Australia. Red australia - red in 6x75cl. Top critic score: 96/100 (JR). Sold in bond by Albany Vintners, independent fine wine merchants.
Founded in the 1870s, Campbells is one of the great pioneering families of Rutherglen and remains family owned today under fifth generation sisters Jane and Julie Campbell. Renowned for producing some of Australia’s most iconic fortified wines, the estate’s legendary Muscats and Topaques are drawn from extraordinary old soleras, with some components dating back many decades. The remarkable Merchant Prince Rare Rutherglen Muscat is a benchmark of the style - intensely rich and concentrated yet astonishingly balanced, layering raisin, walnut, dark chocolate, coffee bean and burnt toffee notes with seemingly endless persistence. Despite their richness, these are wines of incredible freshness and longevity, capable of remaining vibrant for decades.
Josh Raynolds (JR) — 96/100 · Vinous, 2006-07-01
Copper-tinted brown. Powerful, brooding nose suggests chocolate-covered cherry, black toffee, mocha, currant and an exotic hint of cured tobacco. Positively explosive on the palate, with potent, almost overwhelmingly rich flavors of marmalade, buttered nuts, raisin and balsamico and a viscous, virtually solid texture. The endless finish features toffee, coffee, cherry, plum preserve and fruitcake…