Laborie Merlot
£10.59
£14.12 per litre · incl. 20% VAT
Out of Stock
Here's a Merlot that proves easy drinking and genuine character aren't mutually exclusive. From the historic Laborie estate beneath Paarl Rock, it's all blackcurrant, plum and a savoury, grippy edge that keeps things interesting. Brilliant with a midweek steak or Sunday roast chicken, and gentle on the wallet. A Cape classic, delivered to your door.
Not for sale to persons under 18. Adult signature required on delivery.
UK wide delivery
Expert curated
Our Verdict
We listed this as a house red we'd be happy to drink any night of the week, and it has more than earned its place. What sets the Laborie apart from the supermarket Merlot crowd is that savoury, gently grippy structure: it actually wants food rather than just slipping by unnoticed. It's become a quiet customer favourite, and we understand why. Perfect for anyone who wants honest, characterful Cape red without the fuss or the price tag. Stock moves steadily, so grab a few if your rack is looking thin.
Tasting Notes
Blackcurrant and dark plum lead the nose, lifted by a fresh ribbon of raspberry that keeps it bright rather than brooding. The palate is well-weighted and rounded, with eight to ten months in oak lending a gentle savoury frame rather than heavy toast. Grippy tannins give it backbone, so it holds its shape against food, and the finish is fragrant and elegant, drying just enough to leave you reaching for the next sip.
About This Wine
If you've been after a red that punches well above its modest price, you've just found it. Laborie Merlot comes from one of the Cape's oldest estates, tucked beneath the granite shoulder of Paarl Rock, where the Taillefert family planted vines back in 1691. Three centuries of know-how go into a bottle that costs less than a takeaway. In the glass, it's generous and welcoming: blackcurrant and ripe plum up front, a lift of fresh raspberry, then a savoury depth from eight to ten months in oak. The tannins have a pleasing grip rather than a soft slide, which is exactly what gives this Merlot its backbone and its food-friendliness. The finish is fragrant and surprisingly elegant for an everyday wine. This is a proper all-rounder. Pour it with a tomato-rich pasta, roast duck or a simple herb-roasted chicken, or let it stand up to a grilled ribeye. It's drinking beautifully now but has the structure to rest for a few years if you'd rather wait. Keep a few bottles in for those nights when you want something reliable and rewarding without overthinking it. We ship across the UK, usually within a couple of days, so restocking the rack is easy.
Food Pairing
Those grippy tannins want something with substance. Pour it with a chargrilled ribeye, or a Sunday roast duck with its crisp skin and rendered fat. It also loves a tomato-rich pasta: think a slow-cooked beef ragu or a baked rigatoni. Roast chicken with herbs is the easy midweek match, the fruit and savoury oak rounding out the meal nicely.
- —Chargrilled ribeye steak
- —Roast duck with crisp skin
- —Slow-cooked beef ragu with rigatoni
- —Herb-roasted chicken
- —Baked pasta in a rich tomato sauce
How to Serve
Decanting
A short decant of 30 to 45 minutes helps here. The grippy tannins ease with a little air and the blackcurrant and raspberry aromatics open up and become more fragrant.
Behind the Wine
Paarl sits in a warm pocket of the Western Cape, where reliably dry, sun-filled summers let Merlot ripen evenly and fully. Cooling air spilling down from the mountains tempers the heat, holding on to freshness and lift. Some years lean cooler and more structured, others warmer and more generous, but the Cape's dependable rhythm keeps this wine consistent: ripe blackcurrant and plum fruit, grippy tannins, and that fragrant, elegant finish you taste in the glass.
Ageing Potential
Built for easy, everyday drinking and lovely on release. The grippy tannins will soften and the fruit mellow into something rounder over the next few years, so you can cellar it for up to about four years if you prefer a gentler style, but there is no need to wait.
The Winemaking
The approach here is unfussy and confident. After fermentation, the wine spends eight to ten months in oak, just long enough to round out the edges and frame the fruit without smothering it. That measured touch is deliberate: it builds the grippy, well-weighted tannins and gentle structure while letting the blackcurrant, plum and raspberry stay front and centre. The result drinks beautifully young, yet has the backbone to reward a few years in the cellar.
About the Producer
Laborie
Laborie has been making wine since 1691, when a French Huguenot named Isaac Taillefert was granted a farm on the slopes of Paarl Mountain. He brought his name from a village in Champagne, which is why this estate, three centuries later, still feels destined to make sparkling wine. Within seven years of arrival the family was producing wine that visiting travellers compared favourably with small Champagnes, and the vineyards have been worked continuously ever since. The original Cape Dutch manor house is a National Monument, the surrounding vines have outlasted empires, and today Laborie sits within the KWV stable as one of the Cape's most reliable names for Méthode Cap Classique.