Esk Valley Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon / Malbec 2022.

This is a rich and full-bodied Gimblett Gravels blend. Densely coloured, it has a bouquet of dark cherry, blackberry, dried herbs and cedar from barrel maturation. It is soft and generous in nature and can be enjoyed as a youthful wine, but possesses sufficient tannin to age gracefully for many years.

VINEYARDS: Careful fruit selection combined with quality vineyards - typified by free draining, infertile, gravelly soils and low yields - allowed us to harvest bunches exhibiting purity, ripeness, and fine tannin.

VINTAGE: It was a challenging vintage to navigate in Hawkes Bay and Gisborne with frequent rain through February and March. The summer started hot, with very settled weather around the Christmas period before the wetter late summer arrived. The fruit was often picked at relatively low sugar levels however the hot summer delivered excellent "avour ripeness. The aromatic wines look very good, particularly Rose and Albarino. Chardonnay is also presenting well, and the higher natural acidity has seen us employ more Malolactic fermentation resulting in a more elegant style than is typical. Reds have come through ferment well and have shown the bene!t of growing grapes on the free draining Gimblett Gravels, particularly in a wet vintage. Syrah from Twyford Gravels and Malbec from Omahu Gravels are highlights from this vintage.

WINEMAKING: The individual vineyard and varietal parcels were destemmed to our concrete and stainless steel fermenters and allowed to ferment with wild yeast. Once 0 the ferments were hand plunged or gently pumped over to extract tannin and colour from the skins. After a period of maceration on skins the new wines were pressed to barrel and tank for malolactic fermentation. The individual parcels were aged separately in French oak barriques for 12 months before blending and bottling in December 2020.

ENJOY WITH

• Grilled and Roasted Red Meats
• Pizza/Pasta
• Casseroles/Stews
• Mature Strong Cheeses