Colour:
Ruby red.
Aroma:
Layered with black plums and earthy savoury notes.
Palate:
A dark, rich palate of dried blackcurrants and ripe black plums. Highlights of dark chocolate and a sweet tobacco character lift the palate to showcase silky tannins with great length.
Ageing potential:
Drinking well from release date this wine can be enjoyed young or with careful cellaring will mature into a more complex wine that can be enjoyed for the next five years or beyond.
Winemakers:
Hamish Clark and Kyle Thompson
Winemaking:
A blend of 68 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon, and 32 per cent Merlot. The two varietals were kept separate through fermentation up until the time of blending. The fruit was held cold for four days to assist with the extraction of flavour and to enhance colour
stability. During the primary alcoholic fermentation, the fermenting must was hand-plunged and pumped over up to four times a day. When dry the young wine was pressed and then racked off gross lees to a mix of tanks, 9 per cent new French oak
and the balance seasoned older French oak. The wine underwent a clean malolactic fermentation while ageing in oak for 6 months. Various different blend options were trialled before the winemakers settled on the final wine composition.
Viticulture:
Sourced from within the Gimblett Gravels winegrowing district in the Hawke’s Bay region. The free-draining gravel type soil is vigour moderating. This combined with the climate are the perfect mix for the growth of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The fruit was carefully monitored during ripening and harvested in the cool evening at maximum flavour maturity and physiological ripeness.
Wine Analysis:
Alcohol 13.5%v/v
Acidity 5.9g/litre
pH 3.56
Our Food Match Recommendation:
Matched perfectly with pan seared venison and wild rice salad.
Vegetarian friendly
SILVER MEDAL - New World Wine Awards 2020
