Winemaking 

Fruit for this blend was sourced from the Upper Wairau Valley and the Omaka Valley with a small component from the Awatere Valley. Predominantly machine harvested, the fruit was transferred to open top fermenters ranging in size from 5T to 10T. These were held cold for an average of 5 days to extract colour and flavour from the skins. The fruit was then warmed and yeast added to some tanks while spontaneous wild ferment encouraged in others. Once fermenting well, the cooling was opened to hold the temperature to a maximum of 32°C. The cap was plunged up to twice per day during peak fermentation. After 5 to 7 days the ferments were dry and the wine was drained off skins and the skins pressed with pressings recombined. The wine was left in tank for 48 hours then racked to barrel where it underwent malo-lactic fermentation and matured for approximately 9 months before blending. The wine was cold stabilised before final crossflow filtration to prepare for bottling.

Tasting Notes

Appearance: Rich garnet with bright red hues. 

Nose: An attractive earthiness with subtle barnyard notes and a touch of spice. 

Palate: Racy acidity with a smooth texture and notes of mango and melon. Finishing with a long citrus minerality.