Vidal Gimblett Gravels Reserve Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

Dry on the palate, layers of plum and berry fruits, touch of mint from the cabernet, long and dry finish. This is a typical Hawke's Bay Merlot dominant blend with the Cabernet Sauvignon adding spice and structure to the plum characters of the Merlot. Great value for money and perfect with barbecued meats this summer.   Winemaker release notes vineyard Fruit for this wine was grown in our acclaimed Gimblett Gravels vineyards. Naturally free draining and low vigour soils, meticulous vineyard management and a very strong vintage produced grapes with intense character, depth and clarity of flavour and fine structure. Low yielding vines and “green harvesting” helped to produce fruit of concentration and richness that is balanced with natural acidity. wine making Individual vineyard parcels were harvested (1st – 17th April), destemmed, lightly crushed and fermented in small batches. During ferment the batches were gently hand plunged and pumped over the skins to extract desirable tannin, flavour and colour. The wines were then pressed off and run to French oak barrels where they completed malolactic fermentation. After resting in barrel for 19 months (20% new), the batches were lightly fined, naturally settled, blended and gently filtered before bottling on the 3rd of December 2017. This wine is a blend of Merlot (75%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (25%). ALCOHOL: 13.0% TOTAL ACIDITY: 6.07gL PH: 3.6 RESIDUAL SUGAR: Dry BARCODE: tasting note Aromas of dark red fruits and fragrant oak combine on the palate showing depth of flavour, texture and balance. FOOD MATCHES: Lamb, beef and hard cheeses. BEST ENJOYED: 2-5+ years from vintage.