Talisman is a rich complex wine with aromas of cherry, blueberry, blackberry and blackcurrant, along with smoky and savoury notes from barrel aging. The palate is dense and vibrant with plummy fruit, rich tannins, toasty oak, and a long fine finish. For over 25 years, Crossroads has represented the very best of small parcel winemaking. This signature wine, Talisman, is a secret blend known only to their winemaker, a unique embodiment of the most exceptional wine each vintage has to offer.

The 2015 was another great season in Hawke’s Bay, a combination of dry weather, warm days and cool nights gave ideal ripening conditions for all varieties. For Talisman the winemaker has identified the very best vineyard blocks within the Fernhill, Twyford and Mangatahi sub regions of Hawke’s Bay. The vines on these areas are low in vigour, low in yield, and consistently give superior fruit. The vines are thinned to one bunch per shoot soon after flowering and the fruit zone fully leaf plucked to ensure an even crop of fully ripe fruit.

The fruit was harvested when fully mature according to differences in variety, clonal material, and vine vigour. The grapes were de-stemmed and gently transferred as whole berries to small open top and closed fermenters. Traditional warm fermentation ensued with temperatures peaking at 35°C. Cap management techniques included hand plunging, and pump overs, depending on the variety and vessel. After Primary fermentation the wines were macerated on skins for up to a month for optimum tannin integration. The wines were then pressed off, settled, and run to barriques where malolactic fermentation occurred. After racking the wines were matured in barrel for the next 16 months with regular topping. The blend was progressively assembled throughout the winemaking process to ensure optimum integration. Light filtration for clarity was all the wine needed before bottling.

Food Pairing: Excellent matched with beef steak, venison casserole or rabbit.