This distinguished Cabernet Merlot is made from ultra-premium grapes (73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc) grown on low-yielding vines in our Mere Road Vineyard, situated in the celebrated stony soils of the Gimblett Gravels district in Hawkes Bay.

The Cabernet Sauvignon was handpicked in two parcels on 22nd April and 29th April, Merlot on 2nd April and Cabernet Franc on 15th April at an average Brix of 22.8. The grapes were destemmed, retaining whole berries, before transferring to open top fermenters as separate parcels for a 24-hour coldsoak.

Selected yeasts were inoculated to initiate fermentation, and cap management commenced twice daily. A post-ferment maceration regime over 14 days optimised the tannin structure prior to pressing off skins. The wine was then transferred to quality French hogsheads (37%was new wood) for 17 months aging. The wine was judiciously blended, lightly fined with egg white and pad filtered prior to bottling on 24 November 2017 under Stelvin screwcap.

This superior wine is a classic blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot crafted from ultra-premium grapes grown on our Mere Road vineyard in the famed Gimblett Gravels. Medium to full bodied, it bursts with notes of black fruits, plum, chocolate, and liquorice intertwined with beautifully refined tannins, yielding a distinguished silky smooth wine.