DISTANT LAND HAWKE'S BAY MERLOT MALBEC 2008
 
SEASON
Spring frosts caused havoc in the Hawkes Bay, with many
vineyards considerably down on crops. A smaller yield
resulted with more concentrated flavour profiles. The
region then experienced a near perfect summer and our
fruit matured with excellent flavours and aromas.
VINEYARD
The grapes are from two separate vineyards, the Merlot
from the Gimblett Gravels and the Malbec from the
Ngatarawa Triangle. The soil at the vineyard sites is a
mixture of free-draining gravels from the old riverbed, and
calcareous soils from the surrounding limestone hills and
river terraces. The fruit coming into the winery was clean
and ripe, and most importantly, had excellent concentration
of aromatics and flavours.
WINEMAKING
The fruit underwent a cold maceration for a week in opentop
fermenters with daily plunging prior to fermentation.The
juice arrived at the winery in late April, where the raw wine
was transferred to French oak barrels to be matured for
twelve months. Due to the gentle handling of the wine no
fining agents have been used to retain colour and
character in the finished wine.
WINEMAKER'S NOTES
Spiced cloves and nutmeg feature on the nose. Ripe
peachy plum and blackberry on the palate with a violet and
a long toasty oak finish.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS
Serve with a wide range of pasta dishes, particularly any
with a mushroom or tomato base.
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TECHNICAL DETAILS |
|
| Winemaker |
Andy Nicole |
|
| Grape Variety |
80% Merlot, 20% Malbec |
|
| Region |
Hawke's Bay |
|
| Harvest Date |
11th and 14th April |
|
| Bottling Date |
May 2009 |
|
| Alcohol |
13.0% |
|
| Acidity |
5.2 g/l |
|
| Residual sugar |
<1.0 g/l |
|
| Oak |
30% new 100% French oak |
|
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