Tasting Note: 33% Merlot, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon & 33% Cabernet Franc, Bridge Pa & Gravels.

Dark black fruits, cassis and plum. Layered with elegant florals and brambley forest floor notes. Soft, smooth & sleek on the entry with a juicy, rich, mid core of black fruits and a long, savoury, moreish finish.

Winemaking Notes: Hand-picked in batches by varietal and destemmed with 100% whole berries. Cold-soaked for 4-5 days and fermented in small open-top fermenters. 16 months in old French oak barrels. Individual Barrel selection to taste. Unfined and unfiltered. 2023 was a challenging vintage for Hawke’s Bay. Intensive viticulture work was imperative throughout the growing season.  High rainfall, humidity, reduced sunshine hours and Cyclone Gabrielle hitting the region in early February were the icing on the cake.  A silver lining was that the harvest was weeks behind a normal growing season, which means very slow ripening and high acids, so grape maturity levels were behind when the cyclone hit. As the season unfolded and settled into autumn, it was a very late pick for many varieties, in some respects a saving grace.

Alcohol: 13.5%

Variety: Merlot blend

Region: Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand