• Spicy oak
• Dark berry fruit
• Dried herbs
• Soft & smooth

"Medium deep crimson. Intense cassis, cedar, marzipan aromas with leafy herb garden notes. Richly flavoured wine with blackcurrant, vanilla,  espresso flaviour, attrative mid-palate volume and classical fine-grained tannins. A firm chocolaty finish with savoury notes. Well balanced wine with lovely fruit definition, complexity and torque. Drink now - 2034" Andrew Calliard, Master of Wine, Gimblett Gravels Annual Vintage Selection 2022

This deeply coloured wine displays perfumed aromas of dark berry fruits, violets and dried herbs with complexing oak spice characters. The palate is soft and smooth with sweet fruit and supple tannins providing a moreish glass of red.

2022 presented a warm summer punctuated with frequent rainfall which kept the vines fresh and healthy. The warm summer meant good flavours developed in the fruit but heavy rain events close to harvest meant careful harvest decision making was required to ensure the fruit could be picked in good condition. The fruit from this wine comes from a range of Villa Maria Hawkes Bay vineyards located on the Gimblett Gravels, where free draining alluvial soils temper vine vigour, resulting in low yields of ripe and concentrated fruit.

Once crushed to open-top fermenters the grapes were inoculated with several strains of yeast and fermented at 28-30 degrees C. Post fermentation the parcels were pressed to oak barriques, 15% new, for 15 months maturation. The wine was blended, egg white fined and filtered to bottle.

Food Pairing: Merlot-Cabernet blends are particularly good when paired with robust, full-flavoured dishes, red meat and cheeses. Drink now or hold for up to 3-5 years when the wine will develop further complexity.