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Hawke's Bay Merlot

Our Black Label range is crafted specifically to complement food. This Merlot displays a wealth of berry fruit and plum aromas, balanced by full-flavoured, soft tannin finish.

TASTING NOTES

Dark and enticing aromas. Plum, violet and liquorice with notes of blackberry and vanilla. Smooth, dense and darkly sweet entry with Doris plum and complex notes of cinnamon, mocha and cedar joining on the mid palate. Plummy notes persist on the finish along with elusive smoky notes. Rich and opulent.

Grapes from our low cropping Irongate and Omahu Rd vineyards in the Gimblett Gravels region of Hawke's Bay, were crushed to vat and fermented. After approximately a month on skins the young free run wine was put to 225L oak casks. 11 months later the blend was assembled then bottled.

An ideal partner for ratatouille, or equally as good with Italian-style meatballs in a garlicky tomato sauce.

TASTING NOTES

Warm and sweet fruited aromas with blueberry and cherry. There is also a savoury element along with vanilla and cardamom. Sweet dark fruit and tarry notes on entry move to juicy red raspberry elements with cocoa and a warm spicy finish. Fine and smooth tannins.

Fermentation took place in open vats with temperature allowed to rise to 30°C. After almost a month, the wine was run off into a blend of new and old French oak. Nine months and three "rack and returns" later the wine was moved to tank, lightly fined then bottled.

An ideal partner for ratatouille, or equally as good with Italian-style meatballs in a garlicky tomato sauce.

TASTING NOTES

Complex aromas of a bouquet of plum, leather and cedar, with a hint of chocolate. A warm and very even palate with good density, sweet red and black fruits and spice lingering on the savoury finish.

Fermentation took place in open vats with temperature allowed to rise to 30C. Frequent hand plunging of the cap controlled temperature and aided tannin and colour extraction. After almost a month in contact with the skins the wine was run off into a blend of new and old French oak. After eleven months in barrel the wine was assembled, lightly fined and bottled.

The sweet-fruited soft finish makes it an ideal partner for ratatouille, or equally as good with Italian-style meatballs in a garlicky tomato sauce.

TASTING NOTES

Well fruited and complex, with aromas of Black Doris plums, leather, cocoa and cedar combining to create a classic claret nose. The palate is dense and warm from entry to the spicy finish. It has spicy red and dark fruits complemented nicely by earthy savoury notes.

Fermentation took place in open vats with temperature allowed to rise to 30C. Frequent hand plunging of the cap controlled temperature and aided tannin and colour extraction. After almost a month in contact with the skins the wine was run off into a blend of new and old French oak. After nine months in barrel the wine was assembled, lightly fined and bottled.

The sweet-fruited soft finish of this Hawke’s Bay Merlot makes it an ideal partner for ratatouille, or equally as good with Italian-style meatballs in a garlicky tomato sauce.