Vineyard Description

The fruit for these wines are sourced predominantly from vineyards located across the Hawkes Bay region. An array of soil profiles combined with high sunshine hours and low rainfall makes the Hawkes Bay New Zealand’s ‘home’ to the French Bordeaux varieties Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Cabernet Franc. A significant portion of the grapes are grown in Villa Maria’s vineyards in close proximity to Gimblett Road. The free draining gravelly soil here has a devigourating affect on vines and results in red wines with enhanced structure, flavour and colour.

Winemaking

The fruit is destemmed and crushed to fermentation vessels. To extract optimum rich colour, flavour and tannins, the fruit is plunged, pumped over or air pulsed two - four times each day during fermentation, with temperatures peaking at 32°C. At the completion of fermentation a small and accurate dose of oxygen is gently introduced to selected parcels while still on skins for a one week period to enhance palate texture. Following pressing and malolactic fermentation, the wines spend the next nine months in tank for contact with fine grained, lightly toasted French oak. Incremental doses of oxygen are again introduced to the wine to soften and integrate the fruit and oak tannins and release bright fruit aromatics. The individual wines are then racked and blended, lightly egg-white fined and filtered prior to bottling.

Winemaker's Comment

This wine exhibits rich blackberry and raspberry notes on the nose, leading to a palate packed with juicy red cherry and cedar spice with an underlying tobacco character.

SERVING SUGGESTION

This wine has fine grained soft tannins and good length, making it a perfect match for a variety of red meats and cheeses.